


Shower Singing

by Another Bechloe Shipper (AmyP91402)



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Homophobia, Jeca Brotp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:07:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 85,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23417203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmyP91402/pseuds/Another%20Bechloe%20Shipper
Summary: Prompt: We've never met but we shower at the same time and our showers are on opposite sides of the same apartment wall so sometimes we start duets?PP1 AUBechloe endgame with some Staubrey
Relationships: Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell, Stacie Conrad/Aubrey Posen
Comments: 207
Kudos: 372





	1. Chapter 1

_**Chloe** _

Chloe's alarm went off at the same time every day. She picked up her phone, turned off the alarm, stripped off her pajamas, and put on her bathrobe. Her roommate Aubrey had insisted on a "shower schedule." Since Chloe had the earlier class in the mornings, it was easier to have her shower first. She'd been annoyed at first, but it quickly became a habit. Weekends were a bit looser, but she almost always showered first on those days.

She started the water, stripped off the robe, and stepped in, letting the water help wake her up. As she washed, she began to sing.

 _Every single day  
_ _I walk down the street  
_ _I hear people say,  
_ _"Baby's so sweet"_

She loved singing, and she couldn't resist the acoustics of the shower. Nobody lived in the apartment next door, so she generally sang loudly and proudly. She and Aubrey had been watching _Rent_ the night before, inspiring that morning's [song choice](https://youtu.be/iFOvOQ8xLv4). As she sang:

_Cryin' - "Oh Honeybear - are you still my, my, my baby?"_

She could have sworn she heard a voice say Joanne's line from the movie: "Don't you dare!"

She assumed the movie line was in her head. It wasn't Aubrey's voice, and the apartment next door was empty, wasn't it? She paused for a second before continuing to the chorus.

_Take me for what I am_

She'd just finished the Maureen character's line:

 _Cause every night - who's in your bed?  
_ _Who's in your bed?  
_ _Kiss Pookie_

She was shocked to hear a response from the other side of the wall.

 _It won't work.  
_ _I look before I leap  
_ _I love margins and discipline  
_ _I make lists in my sleep  
_ _Baby, what's my sin?_

She stood in stunned silence as the mystery person on the other side of the wall sang the Joanne character's part. Her voice was amazing, and she obviously knew the lyrics by heart. Just as the voice was beginning Joanne's first chorus, she continued with Maureen's response lines.

" _Joanne": Take me for what I am_

_Chloe: A control freak_

" _Joanne": Who I was meant to be_

_Chloe: A snob, yet over-attentive_

" _Joanne": And if you give a damn_

_Chloe: A lovable, droll geek_

They continued the duet, perfectly in sync, as though they were professionals who did this every day.

 _Take me baby or leave me  
_ _Take me baby  
_ _Or leave me  
_ _Guess I'm leavin'  
_ _I'm gone!_

Chloe turned off her water, hollered: "Nice singing with you!" and dried off. She waited for a response, but she never heard one. She finished blow-drying her hair and left the bathroom.

"Interesting performance this morning," said Aubrey.

"Good morning to you," said Chloe.

"Good morning," said Aubrey. "But, seriously? What was up with that?"

"I always sing in the shower."

"Look, I'm used to your lack of volume control, in a lot of situations, but I think that's the loudest I've ever heard you sing in the shower."

"I had a duet partner," said Chloe.

Aubrey immediately lowered her voice to a whisper and hissed, "Seriously? Who? Where? You're supposed to let me know when you have someone over!"

"No, nobody here," said Chloe. "I think somebody moved into the apartment next door."

"What?" asked Aubrey.

She told Aubrey how she'd started singing, the response line she thought she'd heard, and then the voice had joined her in singing "Take Me or Leave Me" from _Rent_.

"Seriously, she didn't miss a beat," said Chloe.

Aubrey simply shook her head and went into the bathroom for her shower. Chloe headed to her room, finished getting ready for school, grabbed some breakfast, and then headed out of the apartment. She lingered by the front door for a few minutes, hoping to see the source of the beautiful singing voice face to face, but nobody walked outside. She headed to her car and drove the short distance to Barden University.

* * *

_**Beca** _

Beca shut off the alarm on her phone and drowsily walked into the bathroom. She was glad that she'd had the foresight the night before to make sure her towels and toiletries were unpacked. She'd just moved into her apartment the day before. Her dad had wanted her to live in the dorms at Barden, but she'd accidentally-on-purpose registered for housing just a little too late, forcing herself to live in an off-campus apartment. Her dad had offered to let her stay at his place, but the idea of having to stay with him and Sheila the stepmonster was even worse than being forced to go to college. Her mother had backed her up on this idea, stating that their daughter would be robbed of the college experience if she had to commute from her dad's. Beca had only seen her dad a few times a year since the divorce, and she hadn't lived under his roof for any longer than a weeklong scheduled visit in ten years. The man had conceded, and he'd even gone so far as to pay her rent and pay to ship her car all the way from Seattle to Atlanta. He'd acted like he was doing her a favor, but Beca thought both were fairly small expenses since her tuition was free anyway.

She'd just started the water and stepped under the shower spray when she heard a voice coming from the next apartment over. She chuckled to herself. _It figures I move in next to someone who sings in the shower,_ she thought. A few lines into the song, she realized that the voice was gorgeous and they were singing a song from her favorite musical.

Without thinking, she immediately hollered, "Don't you dare!" at the point in the song when the "Joanne" character said it. She heard the voice pause for a second before continuing.

She figured she might as well play along since the person had likely heard her, and they hadn't stopped. As soon she heard the "Kiss Pookie" line, she went ahead singing Joanne's part.

Just as Beca expected, the voice continued with Maureen's parts. When they were done, Beca smiled. She hadn't sung with anyone since finishing high school a few months prior.

When the voice called, "Nice singing with you!" Beca froze. She'd been so wrapped up in singing, she'd forgotten that she was singing with her next-door neighbor through the shower walls. She didn't know what to say, so she didn't respond. _Why am I so awkward?_ Beca asked herself.

She got dressed for school and headed out the front door to her car. She was relieved she didn't run into the neighbor on her way. Sure, she'd enjoyed singing, but now she was feeling self-conscious about the whole thing. She checked the time and realized she had the time for a quick drive-through for breakfast on the way.

She parked, got her things together, and got to class, finishing her breakfast burrito as she walked. She sat through three classes of professors sharing their syllabus, thinking she may die of boredom already. She grabbed lunch in the dining hall, and, just her luck, she ran into dear old Dad.

"Hey, Bec, how's your first day of college?"

Beca rolled her eyes. "Boring."

"So, have you been out on the quad yet? In the springtime, all of the students study on the grass."

"I don't want to study on the grass, Dad. I need to move to LA and get a job at a record label and start paying my dues."

"Oh boy. Here we go again. Beca, DJ'ing is not a profession. It's a hobby. Unless you're Rick Dees or someone awesome like that - "

"That's not…" Beca was so mad she couldn't find the words. "I want to _produce_ music. I want to _make_ music, Dad."

"But you're getting a college education first. For free, I might add. End of story."

Beca happened to glance at a flyer sitting on her lunch table. She checked the time on her phone and saw that the activities fair it was advertising was going on right then.

"Whatever, Dad. I'm going to the activities fair." She threw away the rest of her lunch and headed out to the quad. She'd lost her appetite anyway.

* * *

_**Chloe** _

Chloe and Aubrey stood at the Activities Fair at the Barden Bellas' table. They were the two remaining Bellas, as the rest of the group from the previous year had either graduated or quit after a rather embarrassing incident at that spring at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. A nervous Aubrey had projectile-vomited in the middle of her big solo. Chloe blamed a lot of it on their previous captain Alice's version of a pep talk she'd given them before performing. Chloe wondered why Alice felt that calling both of them "slutbags" and saying "don't eff up your solo" was going to help. Anyway, the two friends were determined to find new Bellas.

"I will stop at nothing to take those dicklicks down," said Aubrey as she saw their rival group, the all-male Treblemakers, performing one of their songs on the other side of the quad. The group had been winning the ICCA's every year since before Chloe and Aubrey had come to Barden, and their leader, Bumper, especially enjoyed poking fun at the Bellas. The puking incident had only made matters worse.

Chloe saw a student walk by, a girl by the name of Barb who had auditioned for the past three years and hadn't been chosen for the group.

"Hey, Barb! Gonna audition this year? We have openings!" Chloe said, giving her the brightest smile she could.

"Oh, now that you've puked your way to the bottom, you might actually consider me? I've auditioned three times and never got in because you said my boobs look like bologna," replied Barb.

She put her hands on her waist, moving her cardigan aside, showing huge brown nipples through her white shirt. Okay, so Barb's boobs _did_ look like bologna. Why she never wore a bra, Chloe had no idea. However, it had been Alice and the other previous captains that had made that decision. The girl had a nice voice, and she was sure they could strongarm her into wearing a bra - preferably one with pads.

Before Chloe or Aubrey could say anything, Barb continued. "The word's out. The Bellas are the laughing stock of a cappella. Good look auditioning this year, douche-b's." She left with an eye-roll.

"Oh my god. This. Is. A TRAVESTY!" sang Chloe. "If we can't get Bologna Barb, we can't get anybody."

"Take the dramatics down a notch," said Aubrey.

"You're the one who got us into this hot mess!" replied Chloe.

"We'll be fine. I'm confident we'll find eight super-hot girls with bikini-ready bodies who can harmonize and have perfect pitch," said Aubrey. Chloe could see her friend was forcing a smile.

Aubrey switched to what Chloe knew was her "game face" when several hot girls walked by, ignoring the flyers that Aubrey had shoved in their faces.

"Just keep flyering. We have a tradition to uphold."

"How about we just get good singers?" asked Chloe.

Aubrey looked at her like she had ten heads, but a student had overheard Chloe's comment and walked up to take a flyer.

"What? Good singers? What?" asked a blonde chubby girl with an Australian accent.

"Hi!" Chloe greeted the girl brightly. "Can you sing?"

"Yeah."

"Can you read music?"

"Yeah."

"Can you match pitch?"

"Try me."

The girl matched all three notes Chloe tried, stretching the last one out way too long. She let out another note when Aubrey signaled her to stop.

"That was a really good start," said Aubrey. Both friends chuckled. This one was a character.

"I'm the best singer in Tasmania," said the girl. "With teeth." She grinned, showing them her teeth.

"Love it," said Aubrey.

"What's your name?" asked Chloe.

"Fat Amy," said the girl.

"You call yourself 'Fat Amy'?" asked Aubrey.

"Yeah," said Fat Amy. "So twig bitches like you don't do it behind my back."

Aubrey and Chloe looked at each other, both more than a little amazed at the girl's boldness.

Aubrey handed her another flyer. "I will see you at auditions, Fat Amy."

* * *

_**Beca** _

Beca headed over to the activities fair. She really didn't intend to join any clubs, but she figured she'd look and see what was there. If nothing else, it would kill some time before her next class.

She spotted a booth that read: "F-Word: A Collection of Feminist Voices." She chuckled at that. Another read "Dudes with Ponytails, est. 1988." There was a cycling club. She hadn't ridden a bike since she'd gotten her driver's license, and that bike was in a shed back at her mother's house across the country. No, she wasn't joining that group.

There was a club called "RIAC." When Beca got closer, she saw it said: "Running In A Circle." Two very enthusiastic students - a woman and a man - saw Beca looking and immediately seized the opportunity to sell Beca on a membership.

"What is this about?" Beca asked.

"So, basically what we do is we join arms in a large ring and we run clockwise and sometimes we'll do variations on that," said the woman.

"It's really about motion, health, energy, mimicking the earth's orbit around the sun," added the man.

"So, you guys run in a circle," said Beca.

"And, so can you!" exclaimed the woman.

"Umm...I'm gonna look around little," said Beca.

"Around!" exclaimed the man.

"You would do so well here," said the woman as Beca left, somehow managing not to laugh at their ridiculous club.

Beca continued to look at different activities. She got excited when she spotted a booth that said: "Barden DJs."

She walked up to the booth and began to examine the display. She heard a voice behind her say, "Ahhh, yeah, DJs." She turned to see a heavyset blonde girl. The girl pointed to the display poster as she read, "Deaf Jews."

Two excited young men wearing yarmulkes turned and greeted them by saying, "Shalom!"

The blonde girl said loudly, "That's not a word but keep trying. You will get there."

Beca chuckled. She wasn't Jewish, but even she knew that was a real Hebrew word. "Not a lot of Jewish people where you're from?"

"Uhhh...no. But I did do Fiddler on the Roof in high school. It was, like, me and some Aboriginals. It was really Jewish. It was full-on Jew."

Beca continued to walk through the fair. There were a bunch of guys in swim caps and speedos. _Yuck,_ thought Beca. Had she been questioning her sexuality, that sight would have sealed the deal. No, she definitely didn't like men.

Her thoughts were further interrupted when a pretty redhead handed her a flyer asking if she wanted to join their a cappella group.

"Oh, right, this is, like, a thing now," said Beca as she looked over the flyer.

"Oh, totes," said the redhead. "We sing covers of songs, but we do it without any instruments. It's all from our mouths."

"Yikes," said Beca.

She went on to explain the a cappella groups. Their group - The Bellas - she said were the "tits." The BU Harmonics was a group that sang a lot of Madonna. The High Notes, she said, "weren't particularly motivated". Beca took one look at the group, confirming the reason for their name. She pointed to a group of guys who were singing "Let It Whip." She didn't name the group, but Beca didn't really care.

"So, are you interested?" asked the redhead.

"Sorry...it just...it's pretty lame," said Beca.

"A-ca-scuse me?" asked the blonde, clearly offended by Beca's words. "Synchronized lady dancing to a 'Mariah Carey' chart-topper is not lame."

"We sing all over the world and we compete in national championships," added the redhead.

"On purpose?" asked Beca.

"We played the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, you bitch!" exclaimed the blonde.

"What Aubrey means to say is that we're a close-knit, talented group of ladies whose dream is to return to the national finals at Lincoln Center this year," said the redhead. "Help us turn our dreams into a reality?" The redhead gave her the sweetest, most hopeful smile.

"Sorry, I don't even sing," lied Beca. "But it was really nice to meet you guys."

She walked away, wondering why she'd said what she'd said. She'd been in choir in high school and she'd loved it. The truth was she'd been rattled by the redhead. So, as usual, she'd shot the poor girl a witty comeback instead of trying the group. She hadn't even remembered to ask the redhead's name. She only knew the blonde's name - Aubrey - because she'd heard the redhead use it.

She reminded herself she was putting up with college until she could convince her dad to leave her alone about college and help her move to LA. She didn't have the money to do it on her own, and she knew that her father had saved up a bunch of money for her college education. He could just give that money to her to help her move, couldn't he? He wasn't paying her tuition - just her rent for her apartment.

Beca looked at the time again and headed toward her next class, knowing it was going to be more listening to a boring professor babbling about their syllabus and attendance policy.

Beca did, however, manage to find a booth advertising internships at the college radio station just as she was leaving the activities fair. That was something she might actually enjoy. She grabbed an application and quickened her pace to her next class.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Aubrey** _

The activities fair really hadn't gone well. They'd managed to get one interested person who could actually sing, and she definitely didn't fit the "bikini-ready body" idea. The one girl that she had told Chloe was "too alternative" had called a cappella lame right to their faces, just as she'd predicted. She really hoped this wasn't the end of the Barden Bellas.

She headed back to the apartment and parked her car. She saw Chloe pull up in her car just as she was taking out her things, so she waited for her. The two friends headed inside in silence.

Chloe was the one to break the silence.

"Well, that sucked," she said.

"You can say that again," said Aubrey, trying to smile.

"Well that-"

"I didn't mean literally."

"I know," said Chloe. "Just trying to make you smile."

"This is all my fault," said Aubrey. "If I hadn't humiliated all of us at the ICCA's, we wouldn't be practically begging people to join."

"Stop," said Chloe. "You didn't do it on purpose. And if we really were a close-knit group of ladies like they told us when we joined back in our freshman year, I wouldn't be the only one sticking around after the incident."

"I guess," said Aubrey.

"My turn to make dinner," said Chloe. "Tacos?"

"Sure," said Aubrey.

Aubrey and Chloe normally chatted while one of them cooked dinner, but Aubrey was silent that evening, too lost in her thoughts to talk. Chloe seemed to respect that, waiting until they started to eat to say anything.

"It's going to be okay, Aubrey," said Chloe. "Auditions aren't for another month."

"This is the first activities fair where we were practically begging people to join. Our only prospect was Fat Amy," said Aubrey. "I still can't believe she calls herself that."

"Well, she can sing," said Chloe. "And she's not shy."

"But she's going to be a handful."

"I'm sure you can get her to listen."

"I hope so," said Aubrey. "So, what do we do?"

"Let's post flyers. We can put them up in the dorms, the dining hall, and the library. We can even put one up in our apartment building. Almost everyone living here is a Barden student. Maybe I can find my shower duet partner and convince her to audition."

"You don't even know what she looks like."

"And I don't care," said Chloe. "We don't need to have the prettiest girls. We just need good singers."

"If you say so."

"So, have you thought about this year's setlist?"

"We're using the same one we've always used," said Aubrey. "Why would we use anything else?"

"The Trebles change it up all the time."

"Well, the Bellas don't stray from tradition. We know these songs will get us to the ICCA's, so that's what we're using."

Luckily for Aubrey, Chloe didn't push the idea. "It was just a thought."

* * *

_**Beca** _

Beca pulled up to the apartment building. She realized she didn't have any groceries in her new place, so she headed to the nearest store on her way back to grab a few essentials. She was pretty sure the campus radio station internship was unpaid, and she didn't like the idea of having to go to her dad when she ran out of money if she got takeout every night. She didn't really know how to cook, so she got the easy stuff - cereal, pop tarts, Uncrustables, Easy Mac, and some milk, juice, and soda. She grabbed her backpack and groceries out of the trunk of her car and headed inside. She was making her way up to the second floor when she glanced over and saw none other than those two girls from the activities fair who'd tried to get her to join their a cappella group. She slipped back into the stairwell and watched them from the small window in the door, hoping they didn't see her.

Her eyes widened when she saw them stop in front of their apartment - the one right next to hers. _Which one of them sang with me this morning?_ Beca wondered. Once they were inside, Beca went back through the door and down the hall to her apartment.

For a moment, Beca considered that maybe she'd been singing with someone else. She walked through her apartment, taking note of the direction of the bathroom. It was definitely their apartment.

She tried to calm herself down as she put away her few groceries. So, she was almost completely convinced the blonde hated her. What was her name again? Audrey? Something like that. The redhead had been sweet, but Beca had insulted them both by saying that a cappella was lame. She still didn't know why she'd lied to them and said she didn't sing. Then again, if they'd known how much of her time in high school had been spent in the choir room, starring in the school musical, and participating in the glee club, they'd have probably tried harder to convince her to join. Heaven help her if they'd found out what she was doing at age twelve, but Beca was pretty sure nobody knew about that. It's not like she'd won.

Beca asked herself what the harm would have been in joining their group. She decided it really didn't matter because she'd already burned that bridge.

Beca fixed herself a bowl of Easy Mac and sat down in front of the television. She fired up Netflix and found a show to watch. She made up her mind that she definitely wouldn't be singing the next morning, especially not if the neighbor started it.

* * *

The next morning, Beca started her shower and heard the neighbor singing again.

 _When the bones are good, the rest don't matter  
_ _Yeah, the paint could peel, the glass could shatter  
_ _Let it rain 'cause you and I remain the same  
_ _When there ain't a crack in the foundation  
_ _Baby, I know any storm we're facing  
_ _Will blow right over while we stay put  
_ _The house don't fall when the bones are good_

Beca definitely knew the song. They only played it every third song on the radio. Still, she wasn't about to join in. With her luck, it was that horrible blonde who definitely already hated her. She wasn't taking any chances.

She took her shower and then ate a pop tart for breakfast while flipping through her e-mail and social media on her phone. She saw she had one from Luke, the radio station manager, telling her she could start that afternoon. Before she left for school, she looked briefly out of the peephole in her front door to see if the hall was empty. She really didn't want those girls to know she lived next door.

When she was reasonably sure the hallway was clear, she exited her apartment. Once she was outside, she realized she had been absentmindedly singing the chorus of the song her neighbor had been singing that morning. She got in her car and headed to school.

* * *

_**Aubrey** _

Aubrey woke up to her roommate singing loudly in the shower. What was it with Chloe? Why was she so convinced she could get her mystery duet partner to join the Bellas? Still, she put her ear to the shower door, curious to hear the voice. However, the only voice she heard was Chloe's.

When Chloe stepped out of the bathroom, Aubrey asked, "How's your duet partner?"

"I didn't have one this morning."

"Maybe she wasn't showering."

"No. I definitely heard the shower next door turn on, and it's still going."

"It was probably a one-time thing, Chloe."

"Maybe."

"Since you get home from school first, do you mind going around and posting flyers?"

"I'll have one up in every building in the complex," said Chloe.

"I'll take care of the dorm buildings, the dining hall, and the library," said Aubrey.

"That should do it," said Chloe.

"Let's just hope nobody looks us up on YouTube," said Aubrey.

Chloe patted her shoulder. "I blame Alice for that."

"Too bad you're the only one who does."

"You don't?"

"I was the one who puked, not her."

"She was the one who worked you into that state. Please stop blaming yourself. I know I said you got us into this at the activities fair, but I didn't mean it. I was just upset."

"I know," said Aubrey. "I need to take my shower. I'll see you after school."

"See you then," said Chloe.

Aubrey got herself ready, ate breakfast, packed herself a lunch, and then walked out of the apartment. She froze as she turned toward the stairwell. She spotted the "alt-girl" from the activities fair, just as she was leaving the hallway and entering the stairwell, and she was quietly singing the chorus to "Bones" by Maren Morris, which happened to be the song Chloe had been belting out in the shower. There was absolutely no way she was going to tell Chloe about this. She'd make it her mission to recruit the girl.

* * *

_**Beca** _

Beca finally found something she was legitimately interested in doing. She was really excited to head to the radio station after her classes. She couldn't wait to get into the deejay booth and play the music mixes she'd been making all summer.

She walked into the building and gave her name to the guy at the front desk, who pointed her toward a door marked "Studio." She walked in and looked around, wide-eyed. The first thing she noticed was that there must have been thousands of vinyl records all over the place. She wandered around for a minute or two before standing by the deejay booth, looking in the window. The guy DJ'ing finally noticed her and came out of the booth.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," said Beca.

"Have you been standing there long?"

"Um, no, I was, uh... I just got here. Like now. I wasn't standing here for a while or anything…"

She awkwardly approached the booth.

Luke turned and said, "Freshmen aren't allowed in the booth."

Beca quickly stepped back and mumbled, "Sorry."

"I'm Luke. Station Manager. You must be Becky, the intern."

"It's-" Beca was cut off by another student entering the studio. He looked vaguely familiar to Beca.

"Hey, man, what's up? I'm Jesse."

"I'm Luke. You're late."

As Beca followed look, Jesse called to her, "Hey. I know you."

"No, you don't."

"Yeah, I do."

"He doesn't," Beca said to Luke.

"Totally know her," said Jesse.

Luke appeared to be uninterested. "Okay, cool," he said. "Well, you guys can figure it out while you're stacking CD's."

He pointed to a crate full of CD's.

"When you're done, there's more," he said, pulling out another crate. "Now, you guys will be spending a lot of downtime together, so please, just no sex on the desk. I've been burned before."

 _No problem there,_ thought Beca. _Unless there's a cute female intern._

"I do know you," said Jesse. "You and I live in the same building."

"There are, like, thirty apartments. A lot of people live in the same building," said Beca. "This sucks. I wanted to play music."

"Not me," said Jesse. "I'm here because I really love stacking CDs."

He took a CD from the crate and put it on the shelf. "Yeah, I am _loving_ this!"

"You're such a weirdo," said Beca.

"Yes I am, and so are you. It's a good thing because we're going to be best friends and/or lovers."

"Friends, maybe. Best friends, I don't know. Lovers, no. And I hate that word!"

"Come on, give me a chance."

"No way. Super gay, here, dude."

"You are?"

"Jesse, I'm serious. I've never in my life been attracted to a guy. Girls, on the other hand…"

"Right. So, what do you think happened on the desk?"

"I don't want to know," said Beca.

"Think it's still covered in semen?"

"Too bad I don't have my blacklight. Then we'd know for sure."

* * *

_**Chloe** _

Chloe got back from school, grabbed herself a quick snack, and headed out through her apartment complex with flyers in hand. She put one up at the leasing office as well as each building in the complex on the bulletin board near the mailboxes. When she was done, she returned the few remaining flyers home and then changed into a sports bra and leggings so she could go for a run. She figured she'd get a head start on cardio that semester.

She headed back inside and took a quick shower.

She began to sing.

 _Did a full 180, crazy  
_ _Thinking 'bout the way I was  
_ _Did the heartbreak change me? Maybe  
_ _But look at where I ended up  
_ _I'm all good already  
_ _So moved on, it's scary  
_ _I'm not where you left me at all, so_

 _If you don't wanna see me dancing with somebody  
_ _If you wanna believe that anything could stop me_

She was shocked when she heard her mysterious duet partner join her on the chorus.

 _Don't show up, don't come out  
_ _Don't start caring about me now  
_ _Walk away, you know how  
_ _Don't start caring about me now_

The voice dropped away when she began the next verse, but it joined her on every chorus. When Chloe finished her shower, she decided not to say anything this time. She wasn't sure why she hadn't had a singing partner that morning, and she was worried she'd scared her with her earlier comment. Either way, she was tickled to have a duet partner.

She dried off, dressed, and pulled a stir fry dinner out of the freezer. It was ready just as Aubrey walked in the door.

"Hi, Aubrey!" she chirped.

"Hi, Chloe," she said. "This is pretty happy, even for you. What's up?"

"I did my cardio, and then I took a shower. And she sang with me!"

"Who?" asked Aubrey, eyeing Chloe suspiciously.

"I don't know her name," said Chloe. "But it's definitely the person I sang with yesterday."

"So, you have no idea who she is?"

"Nope," said Chloe. "Do you?"

"Why would I know?"

"I was hoping you'd seen her," said Chloe. "I guess not."

Aubrey didn't answer Chloe. She just got them each a glass of water and sat down to eat dinner.

* * *

_**Beca** _

Beca got back from classes and headed into her apartment building. She walked up the stairwell and saw the cute redhead from the activities fair standing at the door of the apartment next door to hers. She was wearing a sports bra and leggings and Beca couldn't help but look. The girl had some serious abs and an amazing ass to go along with her already gorgeous face.

Beca slipped back into the stairwell. She didn't want to get caught staring, and she still didn't want her neighbors to know who she was. She knew they'd bug her to join the group, especially since one of them knew she could sing. No way was she doing that. She was going to do just enough so that her dad would leave her alone about college. And she most definitely was not getting into a relationship with anyone. Besides, the girl was probably straight. Beca seemed to always fall for straight girls.

She dropped her backpack in the living room and headed into the bathroom. She heard the shower next door going, followed by the gorgeous singing voice. She figured it was likely the redhead, seeing as she looked like she'd come back from a run or some sort of exercise. She recognized the opening lines to Dua Lipa's "Don't Start Now." She didn't know all of the words, but she couldn't help joining in on the chorus.

She felt like such a loser for standing in her bathroom listening to her neighbor sing in the shower, but there she was. She was an even bigger loser for singing with the neighbor when she wasn't even showering.

When the song was over and the shower was off, she froze, waiting for the voice to comment. She never heard one.

She headed back to the kitchen, made herself a sandwich, and found some mindless show to watch before bed. Her professors hadn't assigned any reading yet, so she figured she'd relax while she still could.

That night, she found herself dreaming of inviting the redhead to shower with her, doing a different kind of duet.

The shower she took the next morning was intentionally cold. She was relieved her neighbor hadn't taken another shower that morning.

* * *

_**Chloe** _

Aubrey seemed out of it at dinner. Chloe wasn't sure why. She'd been proudly telling Aubrey about all the places she'd posted flyers and that she'd already started her cardio for the semester. She'd had to call Aubrey's name several times to get her attention.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Aubrey, I was asking how it went with posting the flyers," said Chloe. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Fine. I'm fine. The flyers are up."

"Good," said Chloe. "I really think we're going to get a whole bunch of great singers this year."

"Either that or die trying. Like my dad always says, 'If a stranger offers you candy, make sure there's enough to go around.'"

Chloe had yet to hear a quote from Aubrey's dad that both made sense and wasn't demotivating, to say the least. She'd learned early in the friendship not to point this out to Aubrey.

"But, you're okay?" Chloe asked. "You seem awfully quiet."

"I'm just overwhelmed. It's our senior year. It's our last chance to win the ICCA's. I'm scared we won't get the right people."

"There's time, Aubrey," said Chloe.

"I'm going to get started on reading for my classes," said Aubrey. She put her dishes in the dishwasher, headed to her bedroom, and shut the door.

Chloe sat in silence, wondering if she'd done something to upset Aubrey. She cleaned up dinner before deciding that maybe she should get started on some of the reading for her classes.

She cracked open her Russian lit textbook just long enough to decide that she wasn't in the right frame of mind to study that subject just yet.

She headed to the living room and found a stand-up comedy special on Netflix that helped take her mind off of both Aubrey and her shower duet partner for a while before heading to bed.

* * *

_**Aubrey** _

For the first time in their friendship, Aubrey had lied to Chloe. She hadn't flat out lied to her face, but she'd been intentionally vague. It was a lie of omission. She didn't know the neighbor's name - that much was true. But, she knew the girl living next door was the tiny brunette who had made fun of a cappella singing. She wasn't about to tell Chloe that. Still, Aubrey felt awful for not being entirely truthful to Chloe.

She didn't say much at dinner. Chloe was so busy chattering that she likely hadn't noticed. She'd been going on and on about posting flyers, her run, the shower duet, etc. Aubrey tuned her out. She hadn't even realized she'd done until she heard Chloe say her name a few times.

Chloe had seemed far more hopeful than she was about getting a bunch of new Bellas. Aubrey wasn't even sure they were going to get enough women to show up, much less anyone who could sing.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chloe_ **

It had been a few weeks since school had started. Chloe and Aubrey had more than doubled down their efforts to recruit new members. They’d posted flyers in every building where they had classes, and Aubrey had even gone so far as to post flyers where neither of them had class. Chloe had tried to talk to every female in her classes that wasn’t already in an a cappella group. She’d even tried to convince Aubrey to talk to every female - not just the ones with “bikini-ready bodies.”

She’d been having a good time with her mysterious shower duet partner as well. She had yet to see her, and she still didn’t know her name. She couldn’t always get her to sing. She seemed to know most pop hits, although many were only by the chorus. She didn’t join in on songs from movies most of the time. Anything sung by Justin Bieber or any boy band was met with a sharp exclamation of “No way!” every single time. She knew every single Broadway hit Chloe sang, though. This morning, Chloe thought she had just the right duet. She hoped the girl didn’t have any roommates and that Aubrey wouldn’t kill her for how loud it was likely to get.

 _Anything you can do, I can do better.  
_ _I can do anything better than you._

Sure enough, her duet partner didn’t miss a beat.

 _No, you can't.  
_ _Chloe: Yes, I can.  
_ _Mystery Girl: No, you can't.  
_ _Chloe: Yes, I can.  
_ _Mystery Girl: No, you can't.  
_ _Chloe: Yes, I can, Yes, I can!_

Chloe was thrilled. The [ song ](https://youtu.be/WO23WBji_Z0) had always made Chloe laugh, and she’d had a feeling the mystery girl knew it.

They went through the whole song, and Chloe was sure she heard a laugh when the song was over. She almost made a comment but thought better of it. Anytime she’d commented before, she’d ended up singing solo the next day.

Chloe lingered for a few extra minutes outside her front door. She hoped that she’d catch the girl. She just wanted to put a face to the voice, maybe learn her name, and get her to join the Bellas. Okay, so that last one might be pushing it, but it didn’t hurt to hope for the first two.

Chloe waited about as long as she could before heading to her car in time to park and get to class, never seeing her mysterious duet partner.

* * *

**_Beca_ **

Beca started her shower and chuckled to herself as she heard the opening lines of “Anything You Can Do” from _Annie Get Your Gun_. Whether it was the redhead or the blonde, Beca wasn’t sure. However, she knew they’d discovered her weakness for Broadway. Beca happily joined in, not missing a beat.

She couldn’t help but chuckle at the end. Her grandmother had helped her discover a lot of older Broadway shows, and she loved them all. Singing it had brought up happy memories of her grandmother, especially the brief period of time she’d spent living with her in New York when she was twelve. She waited for her duet partner to comment, but she did not.

Once Beca was dressed and ready for school, she stood at her front door and looked out the peephole. The redhead was just standing there. Beca wondered if this meant the redhead was her mystery duet partner. It didn’t matter, really, because she wasn’t planning to tell the girl. She wasn’t joining the Bellas or any other a cappella group, and she didn’t want to listen to her pitch the idea again. Besides, she was nearly positive the blonde girl hated her - all the more reason _not_ to join.

 _Come on,_ she thought. _Just go._ Finally, she saw the girl blow out a sigh of frustration before heading down the hall. Once she saw the door to the stairwell close behind her, Beca left.

A few minutes later, Beca sat in her car, stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. She was mad at the redhead for making her late, and then she was mad at herself. She really should have just sacked up and left when she needed to. Why was she avoiding the redhead? It’s not like the girl could force Beca to join the Bellas.

By the time Beca finally arrived on campus, she’d already missed half of her Introduction to Philosophy class. She also realized she’d skipped breakfast, so she headed to the dining hall to grab something quick before her next class. She set down her coffee and bagel and pulled out a few papers, figuring she’d at least try and do some of the reading to catch up on what she was missing. Just as she was finally relaxing for the first time since getting into her car that morning, her dad walked into the dining hall. He took a seat at her table. Beca put her bagel down and folded her arms.

“Gee, Dad, why don’t you have a seat?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Funny, this doesn’t look like your ‘Intro to Philosophy’ class,” said her dad.

“I’m posing an important philosophical question: If I don’t actually go to that class, will it still suck?”

“Look, honey, college is - it’s great. You get to create memories here. I see it every day. You just have to give it a chance. You’ve been here - what? A month now? Do you have any friends?”

Beca simply folded her arms. She wasn’t sure what she’d call Jesse, and she didn’t even know her mystery shower duet partner’s name. Even if she did, that wasn’t something she was going to tell her dad.

“You gotta get out there, Bec. You gotta try something.”

“I got a job at the radio station.” 

“Oh, great, that place,” said Dr. Mitchell. “Yeah, it’s dark and dirty and has, like, what, those three weirdos working there?”

“Well, four, now.”

“You gotta try something new, Bec. Join one club on campus. Like that,” he said, pointing to the flyer for the Bellas that must have fallen out when Beca pulled out the textbook she’d been studying. “Do that. Or run in a circle. Wait, don’t do that. Those kids aren’t right. Just do _something_ new. And if, at the end of a year, you still don’t wanna be here, you still wanna go off to LA and be P-Diddy, well, then, you can quit college. And I-I will help you move to LA.”

“Seriously?” asked Beca. She couldn’t believe what her dad was saying.

“Yes, seriously, but I really need to see it, Beca. This is college. Join in!”

He left the dining hall after that. Beca took a moment to collect her thoughts. She finished her bagel and looked at the flyer again. Auditions were in two days. It was definitely worth considering. Besides, her dad didn’t say she had to like it.

* * *

**_Chloe_ **

It had been a really frustrating day for Chloe. First, she’d gotten stuck in traffic on the way to school, causing her to arrive halfway through Russian Lit class. She’d slipped into the back of the room, only to be completely lost as to what the professor was discussing. Her English professor assigned a lengthy term-paper, and her Statistics professor assigned a huge project. Both would be time-consuming and due on the same day. She wondered if any of her professors realized their students had other classes, and Bellas rehearsals would be starting the day after auditions. It was the one day of the week she had an evening class, so she didn’t even leave campus until close to 9 at night.

Her first thought when she finally got home was to see if Tom was down for her absolute favorite way to relieve stress. The two of them had dated early in their freshman year, but they’d soon learned they were really better as friends - sometimes with benefits. They’d had a loose arrangement over the past few years. One would text the other when they needed to relieve some stress or the like, and they’d hook up. It only happened when both were single, and Chloe was really hoping Tom was still single.

 _C: Had a rough day. Care to help me de-stress?  
_ _T: I’m down. Be over in ten.  
_ _C: Don’t forget your toothbrush! 😉_

When Tom arrived at the apartment, Chloe immediately grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him into her bedroom. She grabbed her Bellas scarf and tied it around her doorknob - the sign she and Aubrey had agreed upon to tell the other they had an overnight guest in their room. Aubrey had been holed up in her room studying when Chloe got home, barely acknowledging Chloe’s greeting, making this an excellent night to have Tom help her out.

* * *

**_Beca_ **

Beca headed to the radio station after classes. She was glad she’d remembered to bring her headphones with her that day. Her taste in music clashed big-time with that night’s DJ, so she decided she’d listen to her own music instead. She’d been stacking CD’s for a while, listening to some of her music mash-ups when she felt someone slip the headphones off of her head.

“What the hell?!” she exclaimed, trying to take her headphones back from Jesse.

“I just wanted to know what had you bobbing your head while stacking CD’s,” said Jesse, holding them up where Beca couldn’t reach.

“Jesse, cut it out!”

“Come on. I need to know what makes our Becky smile and bop like that.”

“You know that’s not my name.”

“Then, why haven’t you told Luke?”

“He’s never let me finish a sentence,” said Beca.

“I’ll give them back if you let me listen for just a few seconds.”

“Fine,” said Beca, rolling her eyes.

Jesse put the headphones on and Beca saw his mouth spread into a wide grin. “This is amazing!” he exclaimed and handed back her headphones.

“You think so?” Beca asked quietly.

“Oh, yeah,” said Jesse. “You should try and get Luke to play it.”

“Right,” said Beca. “He can’t even use the right name.”

“Try anyway,” said Jesse.

“I guess it can’t hurt,” said Beca.

“The squeaky wheel gets the oil,” said Jesse.

“I’m not a squeaky wheel,” said Beca, rolling her eyes.

* * *

When Beca got back to her apartment, she ate a quick dinner before slipping her headphones on and working with her mixing equipment. She spent the whole evening perfecting what she thought was the perfect mix of “Titanium” and “500 Miles.”

Even if she couldn’t get Luke to play her music, she figured she’d better work on some different mixes anyway. If she was moving to LA, she’d better be prepared with examples of what she could do.

She sat and thought for a bit before going to bed about her father’s offer. She wasn’t sure what club she’d want to join. Maybe she’d run in a circle anyway, just to see her dad’s reaction. She then remembered how strange the students at the activities fair were and agreed with her dad - those kids weren’t right. Could she join the cycling club? No, probably not. She’d have to get her dad to get her a bike, and she didn’t think organized bike riding was something she’d enjoy. She wasn’t a writer, so the feminist writing club with the amusing name wasn’t really an option. The Barden Review - the campus newspaper - was also not an option for that reason. Besides, if anyone learned that her father taught comparative literature at Barden, they’d expect way too much from her.

As much as Beca didn’t want to admit it, a cappella singing with the Barden Bellas just might be her ticket to LA.

* * *

The next morning, Beca woke up with “Titanium” stuck in her head. It had taken her a good amount of time the previous night to match it up with “500 Miles.”

She started singing before she even turned on the water in the shower.

 _You shout it out  
_ _But I can't hear a word you say  
_ _I'm talking loud not saying much  
_ _I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet  
_ _You shoot me down, but I get up_

Just before she turned the water on she heard two voices in the bathroom - one was her usual duet partner, and the other was male.

“You said we’d try it,” said the male voice.

“I’ll get electrocuted!” exclaimed the female.

“How?” asked the male.

Beca grinned. _Get it, girl,_ she thought. She continued to sing and was surprised to hear the neighbor join her. She thought for sure the girl would be occupied by her boyfriend or whoever the guy was.

 _I'm bulletproof nothing to lose  
_ _Fire away, fire away  
_ _Ricochet, you take your aim  
_ _Fire away, fire away_

She continued the song, her neighbor not missing a beat. Beca thought it was probably their best duet yet.

“You have a lovely voice!” called the male.

Beca cringed. She’d been so wrapped up in her singing that she’d momentarily forgotten that her neighbor had a guest.

“Thanks!” she called.

She cringed even more when she could hear rhythmic moans from both voices as she was drying off. She was glad she’d worn her noise-canceling headphones when mixing the previous night.

* * *

**_Chloe_ **

Chloe woke up in Tom’s arms. It had felt so good to have his hands on her, and it had been a while since she’d seen any action. She kissed his bare shoulder and told him she was going to take a shower. She happily accepted his offer to join her.

She’d just turned on the water and was about to step into the shower when Tom walked in with one of her favorite toys in hand.

“Now?” asked Chloe.

“You said we’d try it,” said Tom.

“I’ll get electrocuted!” exclaimed Chloe.

“How?” 

Chloe had vaguely recalled Tom finding her vibrator when he’d reached into the drawer in the nightstand where she kept the condoms. She’d remembered agreeing to use it with him, but she didn’t remember the shower being part of that conversation. She was about to tell him she didn’t know for sure if the vibrator was waterproof when she heard her neighbor singing none other than her favorite “lady jam.”

Chloe immediately joined her. Tom was used to Chloe breaking into song, so he didn’t even try to interrupt, opting instead to rub his hands all over her. She was a little surprised to hear Tom tell the neighbor she had a lovely voice. Once the neighbor had thanked him, Chloe immediately crashed her lips into his. He reached for the vibrator, but Chloe shook her head, grabbing a condom instead.

She knew they were being especially loud this morning, but that song had made Chloe desperate for release all over again. Luckily for her, Tom seemed very happy to help.

* * *

As they got out of the shower and dried off, Tom gave Chloe a quick kiss and told her he had to go right away. He was already late for class.

“Okay. Bye, Tom!”

“See ya, Chloe!”

Chloe grabbed her things and hurried out of the bathroom, knowing full well there was likely a very angry Aubrey waiting for her.

She opened the door to see her best friend, looking every bit as angry as Chloe had anticipated. Chloe had expected Aubrey to holler at her, but her friend simply angrily stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door. Chloe knew it was best to just let Aubrey stew in these situations. She’d probably calm down at least a little by the time Chloe got back from classes.

She glanced at the time on her phone and realized she was also running late. She dressed quickly, did her makeup, grabbed a pack of pop tarts to eat in the car, and headed out of her apartment. She didn’t have the time to wait up for her duet partner that morning, so she headed straight to the stairwell. She heard a door squeak open just as she was entering the stairwell. She turned around and was shocked to see the girl she and Aubrey had met at the activities fair - the one Aubrey had deemed too “alternative.” The girl had made fun of a cappella and had told Chloe she didn’t even sing. Well, their morning shower duets said otherwise.

“You _can_ sing!” exclaimed Chloe the minute she caught the girl’s eye.

The other girl shrieked in response. Chloe stood in the doorway of the stairwell, preventing the girl’s escape.

“How high does your belt go?”

“My what?!”

“The tone of your voice is so beautiful. You have to audition for the Bellas!”

“Please let me through. I need to get to class!”

Chloe ignored the girl. She _had_ to get this girl to audition.

“Just consider it. One time we sang backup for Prince. His butt is so tiny, I can hold it with, like, one hand.”

“I’m going to be late!”

“You were singing ‘Titanium’ right?”

“You know David Guetta?” asked the girl.

Chloe looked at her incredulously. “What, have I been living under a rock? Yeah. That song is my jam. My ‘diddle’ jam.”

“That’s nice,” said the girl, not meeting Chloe’s eye.

“It is! That song really builds.” She shot the girl a wink before asking, “Can you sing it for me?”

“Why? So you can...ummm...right here?” The girl was blushing deep red. “No way! I’m going to be late for class again!”

“ _Again?_ ”

The girl sighed. “Fine. I’ve been avoiding you.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t know if I was singing with you or...the blonde...Audrey?”

“Aubrey. No, you’ve been singing with me.”

“And you are…?”

“Chloe.”

“Beca.”

“So, can you sing it?”

“Chloe, I’m going to be late.”

“Well, I’m not leaving here until you sing. And I can stand here _all day_.”

Beca appeared to be mulling this over for a moment before sighing and singing the chorus.

_I'm bulletproof nothing to lose_

Chloe joined her on the next line, harmonizing as she’d done in the shower.

 _Fire away, fire away  
_ _Ricochet, you take your aim  
_ _Fire away, fire away  
_ _You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium_  
 _You shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium_

“Wow,” said Beca, grinning.

“Yeah,” said Chloe.

“So?”

“What?”

“Chloe, I have to go to class.”

“Right,” said Chloe, stepping aside to let her pass.

“Bye,” Beca said quickly as she passed.

“See you at auditions!” called Chloe.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Beca** _

Beca grabbed a pack of pop tarts on her way out. She was determined to get out the door on time today. She certainly didn't want to miss the philosophy class again. She headed toward the stairwell only to find the redhead blocking her exit. She'd shrieked at the sight, mainly because she hadn't really been looking where she was going.

The girl - Chloe - told her way more than she'd needed to know in the span of about five minutes. She'd been singing her "diddle" jam, and Beca realized she'd unwittingly been the motivation for the moaning she'd heard after their song. The girl had basically forced Beca to sing with her again, and Beca couldn't hold back her smile afterward. They sounded so much better without a wall between the two of them.

Chloe had called, "See you at auditions!" as Beca left. Well, that had sealed the deal. She was going to the a cappella auditions to become a Barden Bella. And, maybe, she wouldn't even hate it if she had Chloe to look at. The girl was probably straight - the other voice in the shower had _definitely_ been male. Still, Beca could enjoy the view, couldn't she?

By some miracle, Beca managed to avoid red lights and traffic on her way to Barden. She slipped into her philosophy class just as the professor was beginning the day's lecture. Beca was a little lost, but she took notes anyway. She caught the professor after class and explained why she'd missed the previous class. The professor was very understanding, and she showed Beca where she could find the missing material to fill in the gaps.

She saw her dad as she was heading to her next class.

"I'm glad to see you're taking college seriously," he said.

"What?"

"I walked by your last class and saw you talking with Dr. Clayton," said Dr. Mitchell.

"You're _spying_ on me?"

"Relax," he said. "I was on my way to my next class and I glanced in the room. I saw you were talking with your professor, and it made me happy."

"Fine," said Beca. "And, if you must know, I only missed class last time because I was stuck in traffic."

"Well, if you'd filled out the housing paperwork on time-"

"Stop, Dad," said Beca.

Her dad changed the subject. "So, have you decided which club you're going to join?"

"I'm going to audition for a cappella," said Beca.

"I'm sure you're a shoo-in," he said, patting her shoulder. "Just...don't join the High Notes."

"Well, there goes that plan," said Beca, smirking.

"You _are_ kidding, aren't you, honey?"

"Yes, Dad," said Beca. She'd actually tried pot a couple of times in high school, but she'd decided it wasn't for her. She didn't think her dad needed to know this. "I'm actually hoping to be a Barden Bella."

"That's great, Bec. Well, I need to head to my next class," said Dr. Mitchell. "It was nice to see you. Let me know how auditions go."

"Yeah, okay."

He patted her on the shoulder before making his way down the hall.

* * *

_**Aubrey** _

"It's her!" exclaimed Chloe as she walked into her apartment after classes.

"What are you talking about?" asked Aubrey.

"Her name is Beca, and she's the alt-girl that we met at the activities fair," said Chloe.

"Who?" Aubrey asked, figuring it best if she played dumb.

"My shower partner," said Chloe, grinning widely.

"So, you saw her?" asked Aubrey.

"Yeah, well, maybe I...cornered her."

"What?"

"She was singing my lady jam this morning. After I sang it with her, I kind of attacked Tom."

"Yeah, I think the whole building heard you two this morning," said Aubrey. "I really don't get how that song has that effect on you."

"The song really builds."

Aubrey sighed and suppressed an eye roll. She motioned for Chloe to go on with the story.

"So, I blocked her from entering the stairwell, and I made her sing with me."

Aubrey shook her head. "Only you, Chloe."

"I told her to audition for the Bellas."

"Why? She told us it was lame."

"Her voice is beautiful, Aubrey. We could really use her."

"Right, that's what we need, some alt-girl with a bad attitude. She probably won't even show up tomorrow."

"I bet we'll see her and she'll blow us away."

* * *

Aubrey convinced Chloe to let her shower first the next morning. It had been easy, really. All Aubrey had done was tell Chloe she wanted to hear Beca for herself.

Aubrey didn't tell Chloe she'd hoped to send a message to the girl with her song choice of that she was sure the girl would know. She'd heard enough from Chloe about how the girl knew every Broadway song she sang.

Aubrey started with the opening line to "[What Is This Feeling?](https://youtu.be/dk3H2yvsH-U)" from _Wicked_.

_Dearest darlingest momsie and popsicle_

As expected, Aubrey heard Beca reply with:

_My dear father_

Beca deadpanned the line, just like she was playing Elphaba. They continued.

 _There's been some confusion  
_ _Over rooming here at Shiz_

They continued as usual. Aubrey skipped the part the "townspeople" sang in the original cut, going straight from the line:

 _And I will be loathing  
_ _Loathing you  
_ _My whole life long!_

And moving straight to:

 _What is this feeling  
_ _So sudden and new?_

Beca didn't miss a beat. At the ending, Beca had even yelled, "Boo!"

Aubrey hollered, "Aah!"

She had to admit that Beca was good. She'd even harmonized. However, she still didn't want her as a Bella. How she was going to convince Chloe of this, she had no idea.

She practically jumped out of her skin when she opened the bathroom door to see Chloe, grinning ear to ear.

"She's good, right?"

"Yeah."

"So, can she be a Bella?"

"This doesn't mean she's even auditioning. Did she say she'd be there?"

Chloe chewed on her bottom lip. "Well, no."

"If she shows up and she's as good as she was this morning, I'll let her in."

"You will?"

"Yes. I promise."

Aubrey would have to catch Beca on her way out, just to make sure she got the message.

* * *

_**Beca** _

Singing had been different that morning. At first, Beca was really excited that she heard the opening line from one of her favorite songs from one of her favorite shows. However, the voice was drastically different from Chloe's usual lighthearted soprano.

Beca thought about it while drinking coffee and eating breakfast, and she realized she likely hadn't been singing with Chloe that morning. She wondered why Aubrey had been this morning's shower duet partner.

Once Beca walked out of her front door and started down the hall, she saw Aubrey. "Interesting song choice," she said.

"I thought so," said Aubrey, shooting her a dirty look.

"Oh my god! Is that your weird way of telling me you don't like me?"

"I guess you're not as dense as I expected," said Aubrey.

"Whatever," said Beca, rolling her eyes as she walked past Aubrey to the stairwell.

As she drove to school, Beca thought about the morning's interaction with Aubrey. If she joined the Bellas, she was going to have to put up with that woman whenever they had rehearsals or shows. Was this really a good idea? Sure, she was willing to do whatever it took to get herself out to LA to start her career. However, she wasn't sure she was up for that level of torture. She thought more about the groups Chloe had mentioned at the activities fair. The one group was all guys, so that was out. Her dad wouldn't be too happy if she joined the High Notes, and she really didn't want to hang out with a bunch of potheads all the time anyway. Could she stand being a part of the BU Harmonics? She didn't have anything against Madonna, but she didn't think she wanted to be part of a group that mostly sang her songs. That said, she didn't really know what the Barden Bellas sang either, other than a "Mariah Carey-chart-topper." She figured she'd google the group name while she ate lunch and see what came up.

* * *

Googling the Barden Bellas had been an eye-opening experience. She'd first found their webpage. It had a list of their accomplishments, photos of previous groups, and not much else. They'd apparently done very well last year. They'd made it all the way to the nationals, but they hadn't placed, at least as far as Beca could tell. All of the pictures of previous groups had a certain look to the group. Every group photo showed all white women, and she doubted anyone wore anything bigger than a size 4. The past five years of photos showed the group dressed in a uniform that made them look like flight attendants from the 1970s.

She went back to her search results, finding a YouTube video with thousands of hits. It was from the previous spring's ICCA championship. The group wore that horrible outfit, everyone with the top unbuttoned enough to show way more cleavage than should probably be allowed. They started off by singing "The Sign" by Ace of Base. She saw Chloe had the first solo and had done a nice job. She saw her hand off the microphone to Aubrey for her solo, and, just as Beca thought she'd nod off from the sheer boredom of their performance, she saw Aubrey projectile vomit all over the audience. _Gross,_ thought Beca.

Beca spent the afternoon classes struggling to concentrate. She was really wondering if she wanted to join the Bellas or an a cappella group at all. She kept going back and forth between all of the pictures of the Bellas and hearing her dad say he needed to see her try something new and "join in." Was there another way for her to move to LA? Her mom wasn't able to help her. She knew that. The two of them had actually gone over what it would cost for Beca to move to LA. Her mom didn't have extra money to help her. She'd barely made enough to support herself and Beca, especially because Beca had turned eighteen early in her senior year of high school. Her mom had been on her own financially for most of that year because Beca's dad no longer paid child support. Beca had taken a job at a music shop, but it didn't pay much. She'd tried to save where she could, but she still hadn't saved enough to cover expenses in LA for any length of time.

When the time came around for a cappella auditions, Beca still wasn't sure what she wanted to do. She wasn't sure she could stand being a Bella with a captain who already hated her, wearing those awful uniforms, and singing that awful music. Being a BU Harmonic and being stuck singing only Madonna songs didn't sound any better. Finally, she sucked it up and headed to auditions, a good twenty minutes late.

She heard everyone singing Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone." She didn't really know that song very well, and she timidly stood backstage as she heard a guy clap his hands and say, "Okay, that is everybody. I'm really not that impressed this year, guys."

She was about to turn away when she heard Chloe say, "Oh, wait, there's one more!" She excitedly waved Beca over to the middle of the stage. "Hi!" she greeted.

Beca gave back a small wave. "Hello," she said. "Umm...I didn't know we had to prepare that song."

"Oh! That's okay," replied Chloe. "Sing anything you want."

Beca glanced down at a yellow cup of pens on the table where Chloe and Aubrey sat and thought this would be the perfect time to bring out a little parlor trick of hers. She and her coworkers at the music shop had spent a whole afternoon that past summer on a day they didn't have any customers practicing this song one of them had found on Reddit. It was a short song with this "cup rhythm game" in which you clapped and tapped and flipped the cup and passed it to the next person. They'd gotten it perfected by the end of that day, and they'd had little contests during the slow times at work to see how many times they could all do it before someone messed up. Beca held the shop record.

She knelt down, gestured to the cup, and asked, "May I?" Chloe nodded, although she didn't seem to know what Beca was asking. She gently tilted the cup, trying not to knock the pens onto the floor, and sat cross-legged on the stage. She noticed Aubrey shooting her a dirty look while Chloe just looked a mixture of impressed and intrigued. She sat the cup face down and began to clap her hands, doing the rhythm pattern twice before singing.

 _I got my ticket for the long way 'round  
_ _Two bottle 'a whiskey for the way  
_ _And I sure would like some sweet company  
_ _And I'm leaving tomorrow, wha-do-ya say?  
_ _When I'm gone  
_ _When I'm gone  
_ _You're gonna miss me when I'm gone  
_ _You're gonna miss me by my hair  
_ _You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh  
_ _I know you're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

She half-smiled when she finished. Chloe looked thrilled, and Aubrey looked really pissed.

* * *

_**Chloe** _

Chloe and Aubrey sat at the table at the front of the auditorium for A Cappella auditions. Barden had been holding auditions for all four groups at once ever since anyone could remember. It was up to each group who they invited, and people who were contacted by multiple groups had to choose one of them.

As usual, Bumper seized the opportunity to make fun of the Bellas and remind them of the embarrassing incident from the previous spring. Chloe was impressed that Aubrey turned around, gave a speech about how they wouldn't let "egotistical, big-headed, garbage dirtballs" get in their way of returning to the ICCA's. She knew Aubrey well enough that she sounded way more confident than she actually was, but it was better than a repeat vomiting incident.

Chloe and Aubrey watched one singer after another perform "Since U Been Gone." There were a few students that Chloe immediately crossed off of the list. One girl couldn't even get through the audition without crying. There was no way they were inviting her. A crying singer in addition to one prone to stress vomiting was simply asking for trouble. Besides, it was fairly obvious the girl would crumble the second Aubrey took an even remotely harsh tone with her. Cynthia Rose had a gorgeous voice, but she definitely didn't fit the mold. In fact, they'd all thought she was a dude when she stood up to sing. Still, Chloe thought her voice would really add to the arrangement. She added her to the list of people she wanted to invite. As expected, Fat Amy delivered a rather entertaining audition. She certainly had confidence to spare, declaring "crushed it" at the end of her audition. Sure, there were a few moments that she was yelling rather than singing, but she did a nice job overall. Chloe added her to the list of people to invite. She and Aubrey couldn't hear a word out of Lilly's mouth, so Chloe marked her as a "maybe." She did catch a little bit of her singing, and she wasn't bad. Jessica sounded good, but she bounced a lot. Chloe was sure they could help her with that, so she added her to the list. Kori and Mary Elise both did a decent job, so Chloe added them to the list. Denise had a nice alto tone, so she was going on the list. Stacie was a really good singer, but she couldn't keep her hands off of her boobs. However, she had a "bikini-ready body" and sang well. Also, Chloe could see Aubrey was practically drooling over the girl. Ashley did a nice job and was a solid alto. There was a male opera-style singer that Chloe really hoped would get an invite to one of the other groups. It was kind of a shame they didn't take males, but even Chloe thought to take the group coed was straying way too far from tradition. This nerdy guy wearing a tee shirt with a tie printed on it was also really good and seemed so sweet. Chloe hoped he would get an invite to another group as well.

As things wrapped up, Chloe couldn't help but notice Beca hadn't shown up. She was disappointed that Aubrey had been right. Chloe should have tried harder to convince the girl, and now Aubrey would be even more impossible to handle regarding the group.

Just as Tommy was telling everyone that he really wasn't that impressed this year, Chloe saw Beca timidly walk in from backstage.

She immediately interrupted Tommy. "Oh, wait, there's one more!" She excitedly waved Beca over to the middle of the stage. "Hi!" she greeted.

Beca gave back a small wave. "Hello," she said. "Umm...I didn't know we had to prepare that song."

"Oh! That's okay," replied Chloe. "Sing anything you want."

Beca then gestured to the cup of pens on the table, asking, "May I?" Chloe wondered why on earth the girl wanted the cup of pens, but she would have probably let her do nearly anything she asked. She nodded, and the girl proceeded to do some sort of rhythm game, clapping her hands, tapping and flipping the cup over, and singing a song Chloe had never heard. Her voice was as beautiful as ever, and Chloe was thrilled she'd come to audition. She certainly was as good as she'd ever heard, and there was no way Aubrey wasn't going to let her in. Chloe flashed her a huge grin as she finished, and she looked over to see Aubrey was shooting her daggers.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Aubrey** _

Aubrey and Chloe headed back to their apartment after the auditions were complete. They had to fill at least ten spots, but it was best if they offered a spot to at least two or three extra girls. Someone inevitably chose a different group or got thrown out for breaking the oath.

They were in agreement on a few people: Jessica, Ashley, Denise, Kori, and Mary Elise. Aubrey insisted on inviting Stacie. Chloe admitted she'd put Stacie on her "invite" list, but she was concerned.

"Aubrey, the girl was making these weird faces and sexual gestures, like, the whole time."

"She can sing and she has a bikini-ready body!"

"Yeah, I saw you drooling."

"And I saw _you_ staring at Beca's cleavage during _her_ audition."

"Not my fault her boobs were practically in my face."

"You're impossible."

"I am not!"

"So, is Stacie in?"

"Yes," said Chloe. "But the first thing she has to learn is to keep her hands off of her boobs!"

"We'll teach her," said Aubrey. "Cynthia Rose is a no."

"Why? Did you not hear her sing?"

"We all thought she was a dude!"

"She has some pipes," said Chloe. "We need a good mezzo."

"I guess," said Aubrey.

"What about Fat Amy?"

"That girl is going to make me crazy," said Aubrey. "But she definitely got everyone's attention. She's going to give me a run for my money."

"So, is that a yes?"

"Yes," said Aubrey. "She was the first one to show genuine interest. She's in."

Chloe looked at her list. "Barb?"

"I'm not sure it's worth our time to invite Bologna Barb."

"She might change her mind."

"I doubt it, but I guess it's okay to send her an invite."

"And, Beca's in," said Chloe.

"What do you mean?" asked Aubrey.

"You said you'd invite her if she shows up and she's as good as she was this morning."

"That was because I didn't expect her to show up! I knew it was going to be a problem once you found who she was!" Aubrey's hand flew to her mouth as she realized she'd just admitted out loud that she'd known the identity of their neighbor prior to Chloe's discovery.

"What?" asked Chloe. "You _knew?_ Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I saw how you looked at her that day at the fair. I knew that you'd insist we invite her to the Bellas."

"What's so wrong with that?"

"She said a cappella is lame. She has tattoos and ear...monstrosities. She's not a Bella. She'll never be a Bella, even if we invite her."

"Seriously, Aubrey? Give me a break. Her performance blew everyone else's out of the water. If we don't invite her, some other group will and we'll get our asses handed to us."

Aubrey folded her arms and said nothing. Chloe was right and Aubrey knew it.

"Aubrey Posen, are you going back on a promise?"

Aubrey knew Chloe had her. "No way. A Posen never goes back on a promise."

"Great!" exclaimed Chloe. "Then Beca is in."

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "So, that's eleven invites?"

Chloe went over the list. "Looks like it. That's three more than we need!"

"Good," said Aubrey. She went over to her laptop and opened up her web browser.

"What are you doing?" asked Chloe.

"I'm doing a search on everyone before we send out invites."

"Why?"

"I don't want anyone with skeletons in their closet."

"Aubrey, seriously."

"I just want to make sure nobody brings down our image."

Chloe muttered something under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," said Chloe.

"Good," said Aubrey.

She went through the list. Nothing other than a few basic social media pages came up for anyone until she typed in Stacie's name.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed. She pointed to the search results when Chloe came over to see.

Stacie had done some modeling in prior years, and Aubrey was practically drooling over the pictures. Or, more specifically, she was drooling over one picture of her in a [bikini](https://www.instagram.com/p/BWO8tClguJ-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link).

"Nice," said Chloe.

"That's putting it lightly," said Aubrey. She typed Beca's name into the search engine. She gaped at what she saw.

"Is that really her?" asked Chloe.

"Looks like it," said Aubrey. "I wonder why she didn't include it on her audition form." Aubrey had found a [Playbill](https://www.playbill.com/person/anna-kendrick-vault-0000035330) with Beca's name on it. She'd been in a Broadway show when she was twelve. She'd done some community theater before then - she'd been in local productions of _Gypsy_ and _Annie_.

"Is there anything else?" asked Chloe.

"No. Just this. I wonder what happened. We should ask her."

"No," said Chloe. "No way. I'm sure she had her reasons for not telling us."

"If you say so," said Aubrey.

"So, is it okay to send invites to everyone?" asked Chloe.

"Go ahead."

"Even Bologna Barb?"

"She's not going to accept it, but go ahead if it makes you feel better."

They spent the next hour going over where everyone lived and making sure they had enough hoods and Bella scarves in the event that all eleven invites were accepted.

Chloe and Aubrey split up the list and sent out e-mails to the girls they'd agreed to invite. They were pleasantly surprised to find that only Bologna Barb declined the invite. As it turned out, everyone except Beca had a dorm in Baker Hall. Chloe agreed they'd "kidnap" Beca and then they'd all head to campus for the rest of the "kidnappings" and the rest of Hood Night.

* * *

_**Chloe** _

Chloe rang Beca's doorbell, and the second she opened it, Aubrey put the hood over her head.

Beca began to flail her arms. "No! Stop! What the hell?!"

"It's tradition!" replied Chloe.

"Do you _really_ have to put this damn thing over my head! I can't see!"

"That's the point," said Aubrey.

"Why?" asked Beca.

"It's the way all of the a cappella groups initiate their new members," said Aubrey.

Chloe heard Beca mutter something under her breath. "What was that?"

"Nothing," said Beca.

They walked Beca to Aubrey's car.

"Can I _please_ take the hood off for the car ride?" asked Beca. "I promise I'll put it back on once we get to campus."

"Fine," said Aubrey.

Beca was pretty quiet for the car ride. Chloe was pretty sure she saw the girl roll her eyes at the opening chords of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time." Chloe was thinking the poor girl was in for it when she heard the setlist if she didn't like 80's music.

They pulled up to campus, and Beca put her hood back on as promised. Chloe was relieved.

They went to the different dorm rooms in Baker Hall, "kidnapping" the new Bellas. Chloe thought it would be good to have a little fun with Stacie's "abduction."

Just as Aubrey was putting the hood over Stacie's head, Chloe said, "Watch your hands, Posen."

"Shut it, Beale."

"Kinky," said Stacie. "Am I getting handcuffed, too?"

"We don't have handcuffs," said Aubrey.

"I do," said Stacie. "Third drawer in my nightstand."

"Oh my god," said Aubrey while Chloe laughed at how flustered and embarrassed her friend was.

"That's my ass!" exclaimed Stacie.

"I didn't even go _near_ your ass!" yelled Aubrey.

"Disappointing," said Stacie.

"Can you two flirt later? This hood isn't exactly comfortable," said Cynthia Rose.

* * *

_**Beca** _

Beca had gotten an invite to three a cappella groups - the High Notes, the BU Harmonics, and the Bellas. She guessed her little parlor trick must have impressed them. She politely declined the High Notes and the Harmonics, accepting the invitation to the Bellas. After she sent the e-mail accepting the invite, she quickly got a reply that said she needed to be available that night at 7:00. There was also a practice schedule attached. Her first practice would be at 8:00 am the next morning.

Her doorbell rang at 7:00 sharp. The second she opened the door, Aubrey pulled a hood over her head. When she'd protested, she was informed that it was tradition. She wondered what she'd gotten herself into as she got into a car that she figured was Aubrey's. She was glad they didn't insist she wear the hood for the entire car ride. There was a whole lot wrong with driving with someone with a hood over their head in the backseat, and it would have just been her luck for Aubrey to get pulled over. The car ride was made worse by the blaring 80's music playing. Beca decided the best option was to keep her mouth shut. While her dad didn't say she had to enjoy being in a group, he wasn't likely to help her move to LA if she got herself thrown out, especially on the first night.

The rest of the group happened to live in the same dorm building. Beca wondered if all freshmen ended up there, and, after seeing the tiny rooms, she was glad she'd ended up with an off-campus apartment.

The rest of the girls seemed equally thrown off by having hoods put over their heads. Well, one girl hadn't. The girl had called it "kinky" and told her where she kept her handcuffs. Beca was pretty sure that comment hadn't been a joke. And, she'd even accused Aubrey of grabbing her ass. Beca was positive the girl hadn't done that. Aubrey was the tightest wound person she'd ever met. Still, it was funny to hear how flustered Aubrey became at the comments. Beca didn't know who had made the comments, but she was sure she'd figure it out pretty quickly.

Once everyone had been "kidnapped", the group was shoved into a room. Aubrey read off names as she pulled off the hoods.

"The Sopranos: Jessica, Mary Elise, Lilly. The Mezzos: Cynthia Rose, Stacie, Kori. And our Altos: Fat Amy, Denise, Ashley, and Beca."

Beca looked around to find the group in a large, dark room, lit by way too many candles. She, again, wondered what she'd gotten herself into.

Aubrey continued. "We shall begin by drinking the blood of the sisters that came before you."

Aubrey lifted a large glass full of red liquid from a table with yellow and blue scarves on it, identical to the ones around Aubrey and Chloe's necks.

Beca hoped it wasn't blood, but she wasn't about to drink it either way. "Dude, no."

"Don't worry, it's Boone's Farm," whispered Chloe with a wink.

That wasn't much better, so Beca took the tiniest sip.

Chloe passed scarves to each girl. "Now, if you'll all place your scarf in your right hand," she said.

Aubrey began with an oath. "I, sing your name."

The group dutifully replied, "I," and everyone sang their name, most of them rather loudly.

"Promise to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of a Bella woman," said Aubrey, and the group repeated.

"And I solemnly promise never to have sexual relations with a Treblemaker or may my vocal cords be ripped out by wolves."

Beca couldn't believe Aubrey was saying this and that they were repeating it. She looked over to see if anyone else was just as weirded out by saying this. She noticed a few others wore confused expressions on their faces, so she was glad to not be the only sane person in the group. It didn't really matter for her because she wouldn't be doing that unless the Trebles started admitting women into the group.

"You are all Bellas now," said Aubrey.

The rest of the group cheered, mostly in Beca's ear, and Beca managed to feign some excitement.

Aubrey and Chloe led the group to some sort of outdoor auditorium.

"Welcome to aca-initiation night," she said. "Ladies, prepare to soften the beach."

The new Bellas all exchanged confused looks before spreading out, most of them heading toward the keg.

Beca turned to Fat Amy. "I don't know what I'm doing here."

"Livin' the dream," she replied. "I still can't believe they let my sexy fat ass in."

Just as Fat Amy headed toward the keg, Jesse walked up to her.

"Do my eyes deceive me, or are you a Barden Bella?"

"No," said Beca.

"You're one of those a cappella girls. I'm one of those a cappella boys. We're going to have aca-children. It's inevitable."

"You're really drunk right now. I don't think you're going to remember any of this. Hell, you're drunk enough to forget that I'm gay."

"I'm not drunk at all. You're just blurry."

Beca tried to knock him over, but he kept bouncing back. The two of them shared a good laugh before Jesse offered to get her a drink. She happened to notice Aubrey shooting them a dirty look as Jesse headed toward the keg.

Before she could even decide whether or not to talk to Aubrey, Chloe walked up to her, grabbed her hands, and brought their faces super close together.

"Hi," she said. "I am so glad that I met you. I think that we're gonna be really fast friends."

"Well, you know where I live and when I shower, so that's a good start," said Beca.

Chloe gave Beca a peck on the cheek. "All right. I'm going to go get a drink. This ginger needs her jiggle juice!" Chloe shook her ass at Beca, gave it a small smack, and called, "See ya later!"

"Make good choices," Beca said. _What the fuck just happened?_ Beca wondered. _And why did I say something that dumb?_

Beca chatted with Mary Elise for a little while until Jesse came back with her drink, trying to sing along with "Keep Your Head Up" and badly messing up the words.

Jesse turned away from Beca and yelled "We are the kings of campus!" in the general direction of the crowd. Beca winced. Jesse was nuts.

She looked over at the group. Most of them were dancing and singing along with the stereo. Chloe was making out with some guy. Beca sighed. Of course, Chloe was straight. But, why did she kiss her on the cheek?

Beca saw Aubrey dancing with a few of the new Bellas. She was staring at the tall brunette like she was lunch. She wished someone would look at her like that.

As the party broke up, Beca found herself looking for a ride home. Aubrey was nowhere to be found, and Chloe was pretty visibly drunk. Just as she was debating on whether to call her dad to pick her up or cough up the money for an Uber, Jesse appeared.

"Beca!"

"What's up, nerd?"

"I was wondering how you were getting home."

"So was I."

"Want to share an Uber?" That made the decision easy. She'd momentarily forgotten that Jesse lived in her building. Half the cost of an Uber seemed pretty reasonable.

"Sure. Go ahead and call one."

Jesse pulled up the app on his phone, tapped the screen a few times, and said, "Okay, let's go. Our good buddy Jim in a red Honda Civic should be here in five minutes."

"Sounds good. How much do I owe you?"

"This one's on me."

"Thanks, Jesse."

As they walked toward the road, Jesse asked, "Are you going to be at the radio station tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Bella rehearsal ends at noon, so I'll be there after I eat a quick lunch."

"Great! I can't _wait_ to stack CD's with you."

Beca laughed and gave him a light slap on the arm. "You're so weird."

* * *

_**Aubrey** _

Aubrey had the new group of Bellas in the auditorium. As they went through the ritual, she wondered if she and Chloe had really managed to find themselves a group that would take them to the ICCA's to redeem themselves. She worried, even more, when most of the group had chosen to yell their names instead of singing them nicely during the oath. She tried to put on a brave face and keep a positive attitude, but it was tough.

Chloe seemed to be feeling far more positive about things. Just as the ritual ended, she'd said, "We did it."

All Aubrey could do was reply, "Did we?"

She led the group down to the Hood Night party. She loosened up a little after a few drinks, but she didn't let herself have more than that. She immediately had her eye on two different Bellas. Kori was getting awfully cozy with Donald, and Beca was laughing with one of the new Trebles.

Fat Amy struck up a conversation with her. "You know there's, like, ten of us?"

"Twelve, including Chloe and me."

"Right," said Fat Amy. "That means at least one of us is probably a lesbian."

"You think? Which one do you think it is?"

"My money's on Black Beauty," said Amy, nodding toward Cynthia Rose.

Aubrey glanced over and saw the girl blatantly staring at Stacie's chest. She couldn't blame her there.

"And I'd bet Eyeliner Queen is a fan of the ladies as well," she said, nodding toward Beca.

Aubrey glanced over to Beca, who was almost nose to nose with Chloe. The girl was watching Chloe's ass as she shook it toward her.

"Don't tell either of them I said that," said Amy.

"I won't," said Aubrey.

"What about Red over there?" asked Fat Amy.

"You'd have to ask Chloe that question," said Aubrey, relieved that Amy hadn't asked her about herself. Aubrey wasn't in the closet, but she also wasn't exactly waving the rainbow flag either.

She wasn't sure what to think about Beca. She had definitely been laughing with the new guy, and he was just coming back to her with a drink. Maybe she'd simply been watching Chloe's ass because she'd shaken it at her. Aubrey had given up on trying to get Chloe to respect boundaries and personal space a few years ago, but she was used to other people not knowing how to react to the girl.

Justin fired up "Keep Your Head Up" on the stereo, and Aubrey soon found herself dancing with the group. She spotted Mary Elise dancing with Unicycle, so she made sure to keep an eye on her. However, she was soon distracted as Stacie moved toward her.

Just as things were starting to break up, Aubrey saw Kori go in one direction with Donald, and Mary Elise go in another with Unicycle. As she went to follow Kori, she noticed Beca leaving with the new Treble. Well, that was three Bellas she was going to dismiss that morning. This put them under the minimum by one, but she wasn't going to stand for any Bella that broke the oath, especially on the first night.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Beca_ **

Beca was surprised that morning to hear Chloe was showering alone. She thought for sure she’d have brought her boyfriend home. She was a little surprised at the morning’s song choice.

 _Chloe: It's the hard-knock life for us!  
_ _It's the hard-knock life for us!  
_ _'Steada treated,  
_ _We get tricked!  
_ _'Steada kisses,  
_ _We get kicked!  
_ _It's the hard-knock life!_

Beca wondered why on earth the girl was singing “[It’s the Hard-Knock Life ](https://youtu.be/-0bOH8ABpco) ” from _Annie_ . Beca had been in a community theater production of _Annie_ when she was little, and she’d never forgotten the song. She joined in.

 _Beca: Got no folks to speak of, so,  
_ _It's the hard-knock row we hoe!_

Chloe didn’t miss a beat.

 _Chloe: Cotton blankets,  
_ _Beca: 'Stead of wool!  
_ _Chloe: Empty bellies  
_ _Beca: 'Stead of full!  
_ _Both: It's the hard-knock life!_

As usual, the two sang the song like they’d been in a duet on stage. After the song was over, Beca wondered if Chloe somehow knew she’d been in a community theater production of the play when she was little. She shook her head. The idea was absurd. Nobody outside her small suburb of Seattle knew about that. She hadn’t been the lead, and she’d been the littlest orphan. There had been one line written about her in a review in the local paper, and it hadn’t even mentioned her name. She wasn’t even sure anyone other than her own family had known it was about her.

Beca made sure to arrive early to practice that morning, even though it was a Saturday. On the practice schedule she’d been e-mailed, there had been a warning across the top, underlined and in bold letters:

“To be early is to be on time. To be on time is to be late. To be late is to be dead meat!”

Beca knew Aubrey already hated her, so she decided her best bet, at least for now, was to try to get on her good side. She wasn’t sure Aubrey had a good side, but it was worth trying to get there if she did.

Aubrey called practice to order. “Okay, sopranos in the front and altos in the back.” She continued while the group was still taking their seats. “As you can see, Kori is not here. Last night, she was Treble-boned. She’s been dis-invited from the Bellas.” 

“That oath was serious?” asked Beca.

“Dixie Chicks-serious. You can fool around with anyone you want to, just not a Treble.” 

“That’s not going to be easy: he’s a hunter,” said Stacie, gesturing to her crotch.

“You call it a dude?” asked Beca. Stacie simply nodded and smiled. Beca was certain Stacie had been the one teasing Aubrey the previous night.

“Stacie, the Trebles don’t respect us. And if we let them penetrate us, we’re giving them our power.” 

“Not a good enough reason to use the word ‘penetrate,’” said Fat Amy while the others cringed and exchanged uncomfortable glances.

“Anybody have anything to confess?” asked Aubrey, shooting glances at Beca and Mary Elise.

“It was an accident!” exclaimed Mary Elise.

“Turn in your scarf and go,” said Aubrey.

“It...it landed in my hand!” replied Mary Elise.

Aubrey simply held out her hand for the scarf. Mary Elise sadly handed it to her. Aubrey gestured toward the door.

Fat Amy fake coughed, “Slut.”

As Mary Elise started toward the door, Aubrey said, “Take your chair.”

Mary Elise dragged her chair to the door, and everyone could hear her crying as she left the room.

“Anyone else?” asked Aubrey, looking Beca directly in the eye.

Beca shook her head.

“Beca, I saw you last night!” exclaimed Aubrey.

“You saw me do what?” asked Beca.

Aubrey rolled her eyes. “I saw you with the new Treble.”

“You mean Jesse? We were just talking. He lives in our building and he works at the radio station with me.”

“And I saw you _leave_ with him!”

“That’s because you insisted on taking me here in your car. You were nowhere to be found when the party was over.”

“So you left with him?”

“We shared an Uber. That’s all,” said Beca.

“So, you weren’t Treble-boned?!” asked Aubrey, a little too loudly for Beca’s taste.

“No way!”

“Seriously? I saw you two laughing.”

“So? Jesse’s funny sometimes.”

“How funny?”

“For fuck’s sake, Aubrey, I didn’t sleep with him or any Treble because I’m _gay!_ ” Beca knew she was shouting and figured her face must be bright red. She’d never formally come out of the closet, and here she was blurting it out to a bunch of people she’d only met the night before. She’d told a few people - some friends in high school, Jesse, and her mother - but that was about it. Her own father didn’t even know.

“Fuck this. I’m out of here.” Beca grabbed her bag and left.

“Beca, wait!” called Chloe.

Beca stopped in the doorway. “Why? I don’t need this. Aubrey doesn’t want me in the group.”

“Don’t you worry about Aubrey. She’s a good girl. Her parents just never took her out of the shrink wrap.”

“What does that even mean?” asked Beca.

“Please come back. The group needs you. Nobody can sing like you do.”

Beca couldn’t refuse because Chloe was giving her the cutest puppy-dog eyes. “Fine.”

“This is war, everyone,” said Aubrey. “It’s my job to make sure my soldiers are prepped at go time with three kick-ass songs sung and choreographed to perfection. We only have four months til regionals so if you have a problem with how I run the Bell--ah!” Aubrey suddenly recoiled and covered her mouth.

“Aubrey, relax. We can’t have a repeat of last year,” said Chloe, quietly.

Lilly asked a question, but only Beca could hear her.

Chloe asked, “What are you asking?”

“What happened last year? And do you guys want to see a dead body?” asked Lilly.

“What did she say?” asked Aubrey.

“She asked what happened last year,” said Beca, ignoring the “dead body” comment. “Look up the Barden Bellas on YouTube.”

“You _know_ about that?” asked Aubrey.

“I did a little research,” said Beca, shrugging. Beca saw Aubrey open her mouth to say something, but she stopped.

Lilly pulled an iPad out of her bag and pulled up the infamous video.

Most of the group was grossed out, but at least a few of them laughed.

Stacie said, “Oooh! Click on ‘Guy Pukes on Cat!’”

“Enough! It happened. It’s over. Now, this is how we’ll become champions,” said Aubrey. “We practice every day for at least two hours. Seven days a week. We trust you’ll add your own cardio.”

“Why cardio?” asked Beca.

“No, don’t put me down for cardio,” said Fat Amy.

“Why cardio? I’ll tell you --” Aubrey paused before taking a deep breath and singing, “Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…..”

“Holy shit!” exclaimed Beca as Aubrey continued to hold the note.

Fat Amy began to applaud, and several others soon joined her.

Aubrey finally stopped the note. She grabbed a pile of papers and began to hand them out.

 _I guess she made her point,_ thought Beca. 

“Okay, moving on,” said Aubrey. “This is a list of all the songs we’ve ever performed. You’ll notice that we only do songs made famous by women.”

“There’s nothing from this century on here,” said Beca.

“Because we don’t stray from tradition. Our focus is on perfecting our repertoire. It’s why we’re the best all-female group in the country. Now, let’s start with some vocal warm-ups, practice scales, followed by arpeggios and then work our way up to choreography. Any questions?”

Aubrey didn’t give the group time to actually ask anything. She headed straight into warm-ups, scales, and even took time to go over various mouth movements to try and imitate instrument sounds. Beca had been through plenty of vocal exercises in her time, but Aubrey’s were pretty intense, in her opinion.

She’d made the group run laps, but Fat Amy had managed to try and get out of it by saying she was doing “horizontal running.” Beca had no idea where she’d come up with that one.

After making them run laps, Aubrey had made everyone practice walking in heels. Even though Beca was petite, she normally just owned her lack of height and didn’t wear heels. She felt so clumsy and awkward, but a glance at her fellow Bellas made her feel better.

Beca felt like Chloe gave her extra attention with the choreography, making a point to put her hands over Beca’s. The feeling of the girl’s hands on hers gave Beca a bit of a rush, further distracting her from actually learning the choreography.

Finally, after what must have been three hours, Aubrey called the end of practice.

“Hey, Aubrey,” said Beca. “Did we just learn the same choreography you did in that video?”

“Okay,” said Aubrey. “Don’t forget to pick up your performance schedules. We have a gig next week. That’s right. _Next week._ ”

Beca avoided the urge to roll her eyes. Aubrey obviously didn’t even want to acknowledge her comment, which told her all she’d needed to know.

“You guys! It’s Sigma Beta Theta’s Fall Mixer. SBT hires us every year as their entertainment. It pays for our entry fee into regionals,” said Chloe.

“Hands in, Bellas,” said Aubrey, putting her fist out. Chloe joined her while the rest of the group looked around at each other. “ _Hands in_ , aca-bitches!”

The group immediately formed a circle and put their hands in the middle, still unsure of what Aubrey was about to do.

“Sing ‘Ah’,” Aubrey said.

Fat Amy immediately sang, “Ahhhh!” loudly and rather off-key.

“No, no, no,” said Aubrey. “It’s actually _on three_ , Fat Amy.”

Aubrey led them in counting, “One, two.” She and Chloe lifted their hands and sang. Some of the others joined them, but a few counted to three and then sang. It sounded awful, and Aubrey was clearly trying (and failing) to hide her disappointment. “Okay, we will work on that first thing next time.”

As Beca turned to leave, Aubrey called her over. “Beca, a word?”

Beca tried to keep an open mind, even though she was reasonably sure Aubrey was going to be on her case about something. “What’s up?”

“You know you’ll have to take those ear monstrosities out for the Fall Mixer.”

“You’ve already made it abundantly clear that you don’t like me.”

“I don’t like your attitude.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“I know you have a toner for Jesse.”

“A what?”

“A ‘toner.’ A musical boner. I saw it at Hood Night. It’s distracting.”

“Yeah, that’s not a thing, and you’re not the boss of me,” said Beca. “However, _if_ I had a toner for anyone, it wouldn’t be a Treble, or any dude for that matter.”

“You were being serious?” asked Aubrey.

“Yeah,” said Beca. “Besides, that oath cost you two girls already _today._ I’m pretty sure you need me more than I need you.”

With that, Beca turned on her heel and walked away. She would barely have enough time to grab a quick lunch to eat on the way to her internship. She made a mental note to start packing food for Saturday rehearsals. Apparently, rehearsals ended when Aubrey said so, not when the schedule said they would.

“I can see your toner through those jeans!” Aubrey called after her.

“That’s my dick!” replied Beca. She wondered if Aubrey still didn’t believe her, or if she simply had to have the last word.

Beca was glad to see a text from Jesse as she was leaving rehearsal. He was grabbing lunch on the way to the radio station and wanted to know if she wanted anything. She replied with her order and changed direction to head directly to the station. 

* * *

**_Chloe_ **

Chloe was glad to see everyone show up on time to the first rehearsal. She’d been disappointed that Aubrey had kicked Kori out of the group after Hood Night, but she’d broken the oath. She’d tried to talk Aubrey into giving the girl a second chance, but Aubrey wouldn’t hear of it. She told Chloe she’d be throwing out two more members in the morning, but she’d refused to tell Chloe which ones. Chloe stood back while Aubrey gave the speech regarding the oath. She’d felt bad for Mary Elise, as the girl seemed to be genuinely sorry for breaking the oath.

Chloe was surprised to hear Aubrey accuse Beca of breaking the oath. She knew that was why Aubrey hadn’t told her which Bellas she was going to throw out. Beca had stood her ground, though, insisting that she hadn’t broken the oath. Aubrey fired back until Beca finally blurted out that she was gay and stormed out of the room. Chloe managed to convince her to stay, hoping that Aubrey would back off of the poor girl.

Things had gotten even worse when Aubrey had nearly worked herself up to another puking incident. Beca revealed that she’d known about that. Chloe knew that Aubrey was about to admit that she’d also researched the new Bellas, but she’d managed to stop her with a subtle shake of her head. She was afraid that if Aubrey brought up the fact that they’d found the Playbill from Beca’s stint on Broadway that she’d bolt and never come back. Not only would that put them under the minimum number needed to compete, but Chloe knew they needed Beca’s voice.

The rest of the practice was typical of what Chloe and Aubrey had experienced in their first three years - cardio, walking in heels, vocal warm-ups, etc. The only big difference was that Aubrey didn’t seem the least bit interested in letting Chloe have a say in anything. She’d been so excited when they’d become co-captains about leading the Bellas to victory together, but Aubrey hadn’t let her get a word in edgewise.

Chloe had made sure she was in charge of helping Stacie. She was determined that she’d get the girl to stop grabbing her boobs and making weird faces. She knew Aubrey had a crush on the girl, even if she wouldn’t admit it. She wasn’t sure Aubrey could manage to try to correct the girl without at least blushing. Stacie already appeared to get a kick out of teasing the girl.

She demonstrated the choreography, jumping at the chance to give Beca some extra assistance. Beca had insisted she could do it, but Chloe couldn’t resist the opportunity to put her hands on the girl to help her - again.

Finally, when Chloe felt they had at least some of the group members able to do the choreography, Aubrey called the end of practice. It was an hour later than she’d originally said it would end, but Chloe really felt they could have run through the first song one more time.

Chloe bit her lip to keep from laughing when Beca asked Aubrey if they’d just learned the choreography from the previous year’s set. She was disheartened when Aubrey completely ignored her. Not wanting to argue with her in front of the new group, she followed her lead and tried to get them excited about their next performance. They needed to do a good job to pay their entry fee for regionals.

The new group hadn’t even managed to get the Bella circle at the end correct, but, in their defense, she and Aubrey hadn’t taken the time to explain it beforehand.

Aubrey had gotten on Beca’s case at the end of the rehearsal, and Chloe did her best to avoid laughing. Beca was having none of Aubrey’s comments, even saying, “That’s my dick!” when Aubrey had said that she could see Beca’s toner through her jeans. 

Aubrey looked even more stressed than she had at the beginning of the rehearsal, so Chloe asked, “Everything okay?”

“We better have our shit together for SBT,” she said.

“I’m not worried. I think we’re going to be aca-awesome,” said Chloe. She checked the time on her cell phone. “Want to grab lunch?”

“Sure,” said Aubrey. “Where?”

“I have to meet my group at the library in an hour for my Statistics project, so is the cafe okay?”

“That’s fine,” said Aubrey. “I was going to get some work done in the library this afternoon anyway.”

They took a seat at their usual table, and Aubrey got in line to grab their orders. When she sat back down, she said, “Look over there.” She nodded toward the line.

“What?” asked Chloe.

“There’s Jesse, the new Treble who was talking to Beca.”

“So?”

“He has two ‘to-go’ bags and I saw him reading off of his phone to order.”

“I still don’t see the problem.”

“He’s getting lunch for Beca too! I know it!”

“Since when was that a crime?” asked Chloe.

“Oh my god, you don’t get it. He and Beca are together.”

“Because he picked up lunch?” asked Chloe. “Beca told us they work together at the radio station. He’s probably just being nice.”

“You’re so naive.”

“I’m not,” said Chloe. “You’re just being crazy. Beca told us she’s gay.”

“I can’t believe you bought that line,” said Aubrey.

“I can’t believe you think she’d make that up! Did you see how upset she was at admitting that? What is your problem with her, anyway?”

“She doesn’t fit the Bella mold.”

“Neither do most of the group!”

“I just don’t think she’s a real Bella. I wish we hadn’t invited her.”

“Why? Because she stood up to you?”

Aubrey didn’t answer.

“Look, you’re my best friend, and I don’t want to fight. But, please, back off. Beca is amazing. You need to give her a chance.”

“She’d better not mess us up next week.”

“I seriously doubt she will.”

“I hope you’re right,” said Aubrey.

* * *

**_Beca_ **

**_  
_** Beca heard a familiar voice call her name as she was leaving the radio station. “Beca!”

“Hi, Chloe,” she said. “I didn’t know you were still on campus.”

“Yeah, well, I had stuff to do. How was the radio station?”

“It was okay.”

“Just okay?”

Beca shrugged. “I was hoping to play music, but all I ever do is stack CD’s and sort records. Jesse was funny, though. He keeps trying to match the expressions on the faces of the record covers. It’s so stupid, it’s funny. And it helps pass the time.”

“I would think so.”

“Yeah,” said Beca. “Jesse has this idea. It’s stupid, and it will never work.”

“What’s his idea?”

“He says I should give Luke my mixes and see if he’ll play them.”

“Your…?”

“I like to make mash-ups. I learned how to make them in high school, and I guess I got hooked.” Beca couldn’t believe she was telling Chloe this. She’d never told anybody except Jesse.

“Have you talked to Luke about it?”

Beca shook her head. “He doesn’t even call me by the right name. He thinks it’s Becky.”

“Well, tell him your right name. And give him the mixes and see what he says.”

“I guess.”

“And, if that doesn’t work, let me talk to him. We’ve been friends since our freshman year.”

“You have?”

“Yeah, we somehow ended up in a bunch of the same classes our freshman year. We hit it off.”

“Oh,” said Beca, wondering if that was Chloe code for them having hooked up.

“Anything I can hear?” asked Chloe.

Beca opened up her bag, grabbed her headphones, and handed them to Chloe. She played one of them on her phone.

A smile quickly spread across Chloe’s lips as the track continued to play. Once it was over, she handed the headphones back to Beca.

“Okay, I recognized ‘Bulletproof.’ What was the other song?”

“It’s called ‘Release Me.’ It’s by a Swedish pop star named Agnes.”

“How did you find that?”

“I learned how to do these mash-ups in a class I did in high school. The teacher had a huge collection of music, and she told us to check charts in other countries for tracks that weren’t quite as popular here. I stumbled across this one a few years ago, but I couldn’t find anything to go with it for a while. I’m not sure why I didn’t think to mix it up with ‘Bulletproof’ earlier, but I think it works well.”

“Oh, totes,” said Chloe. “You should share this with Luke.”

“You really think so?”

“I know I’d love to hear it played on the radio.”

“Maybe I’ll hand it to him sometime during my next shift.”

“Let me know what he says,” said Chloe.

Just as Beca walked into her apartment, a text came through on her phone from her dad.

_Dad: I saw some of your first practice today_

Beca almost dropped her phone. She wasn’t sure exactly which part he’d seen. She took a deep breath before answering. She hoped he hadn’t seen the part when she’d nearly been thrown out and had come out of the closet to the entire group. She hadn’t seen him in the hall, but she also hadn’t been paying attention to who was in the hall at that time.

 _Beca: You did? When?  
_ _Dad: I guess you don’t like wearing heels, do you? 😂  
_ _Beca: I definitely do not  
_ _Beca: When did you learn to use emojis?  
_ _Dad: Sheila showed me_

Beca made a face. Of course, the stepmonster had shown him.

 _Dad: You looked like you were having fun  
_ _Beca: 🤷 Sort of  
_ _Dad: I’m glad you’re joining in  
_ _Beca: Yeah okay  
_ _Dad: Do you want to have dinner with Sheila and me next week?_

Beca was not too happy with this idea. She resented her dad for leaving her and her mother and moving almost three thousand miles away for a woman ten years younger. She didn’t like Sheila very much either. She’d known she was fooling around with a married man who had a daughter. She’d tolerated visits with her father because she’d had no other choice. Still, she decided it was best to try and stay on his good side. It was her best chance to get him to help her move to LA.

 _Beca: Yeah. When?  
_ _Dad: Wednesday?  
_ _Beca: I have the Sigma Beta Theta Mixer, but I can come over after that  
_ _Dad: Would you like us to come and see you?  
_ _Beca: No_

Beca immediately realized that her dad wouldn’t get why she said no, so she wrote another text to explain.

_Beca: It’s our first performance_   
_Beca: I’d like to wait if that’s okay?_   
_Dad: Okay, but please let me see at least one_   
_Beca: I will_   
_Dad: Okay. Text me when you’re headed over on Wednesday_   
_Beca: Sure_

She was relieved that her dad had apparently missed the incident at the beginning of practice. She wasn’t planning to come out to him anytime soon. He hadn’t known about the girlfriend she’d had in high school. The only girl she even liked right now was a straight girl, which was probably for the best. She was moving to LA after this year. She just needed to get through the school year with respectable grades while not getting thrown out of the Bellas. She didn’t need some girl taking up her time right now.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mild homophobia

_**Aubrey** _

The next day, the Bellas' rehearsal hadn't gone a whole lot better. Aubrey didn't have to throw out anyone, but she still wondered if Beca was secretly hooking up with Jesse.

She'd begun with the aca-huddle. After probably thirty tries, she had about half of the group singing on the right count. She finally gave up on it, telling everyone they'd be practicing this daily until they got it right.

They worked for about three hours again, but Aubrey felt they hadn't made any real progress. In fact, out of their three-song set, the only one that was remotely ready for performance was "Turn the Beat Around."

Further problems occurred when Chloe brought out the box of Bella uniforms. The biggest uniform they had was a size 6, and there was only one of them. They didn't even have fitting uniforms for four of the new girls. There was no way they'd be able to order more uniforms from their supplier in time for the performance.

"What are we going to do?" asked Chloe.

"A Posen never gives up," said Aubrey. "I'll sew new uniforms if I have to."

Chloe pulled out her phone. Aubrey was about to remind her that they don't use their cell phones during Bellas' practice when she turned the phone's screen to face Aubrey. "These blouses look the same as the uniform ones," she said. "I can order them if you want."

Aubrey looked. The stripe pattern wasn't exactly the same, but very little of the blouse would show anyway. "Okay, go ahead," she said.

Chloe tapped her screen a few times. "They don't have the blazer, but they have the cardigan. We could wear that for SBT."

The blazers had been part of the Bellas' signature look for years. Aubrey blew out a sigh. "Okay, get those," she said. "What about the skirt?"

"Got it," said Chloe, showing Aubrey her phone screen.

"Thanks, Chloe," said Aubrey. "Okay, so, I want everyone to double their efforts to practice today. We need to be ready for SBT!"

They'd tried the aca-huddle again, and it was still a mess. Aubrey didn't understand why it was so hard for them to remember that it's "Ahhh" _on three_.

Two days later, Aubrey came home from classes to find a big Amazon box at her doorstep. She opened the box and immediately organized the uniform pieces.

Once Chloe came home, Aubrey showed her the contents. "I did my best putting these together, but I'm not sure we have anything for Fat Amy. Did you order her uniform pieces?"

"Yeah," said Chloe, pointing to a group of pieces. "Here they are."

"Chloe, those are a size 10."

"That's what she said she wore."

"And you believed her?!" While Aubrey wasn't the least bit surprised that Fat Amy claimed to be a size 10, she was surprised that Chloe hadn't questioned her.

"Yeah."

Aubrey held up the skirt. "This is a 10. Look at this and tell me you think it's going to fit her."

"Shit," said Chloe.

"I knew I should have taken measurements at the first practice," said Aubrey.

Aubrey saw Chloe chew on her bottom lip. She knew Chloe well enough to know that it meant she was mulling something over in her head.

"What?" asked Aubrey. Chloe didn't answer. "I know you, Chloe. Just say whatever's on your mind."

"Maybe we should have kept all different sizes in stock. Not all good singers have bikini-ready bodies!"

"Well, until this year, all of the Bellas did," said Aubrey.

"Aubrey, we definitely have some really good singers this season that wouldn't have gotten a second look otherwise. I'm glad we're changing things up a little," said Chloe.

"What do we do about Fat Amy's uniform?"

"Could you let it out with pieces of the unused uniforms?"

Aubrey held up the skirt. "I guess I can try. I hate to cut up one of our uniforms, but I guess I don't have a choice at this point."

Chloe picked up the sweater. "I think this piece stretches. It will be a squeeze, but she can probably manage it. We never button the top few buttons anyway."

"What about the blouse?"

"We don't button the top few of that one either," said Chloe. "As long as she can fasten the buttons over the belly, she's good. I wonder if she has some Spanx."

"How do we ask her?" Aubrey wondered aloud.

"It's taken care of," said Chloe.

"What?"

"I texted her. She said she has Spanx, and she'll come back to ours after practice tomorrow so you can fix her uniform."

Aubrey was a little surprised. She'd worried about hurting the girl's feelings, but Chloe had just gone ahead and texted her.

"I'd better start taking apart this skirt and I might grab one of the blouses too," said Aubrey. "I hope my sewing machine works."

The performance was in two days. If she couldn't put together something appropriate for Amy, they were in serious trouble.

At practice the next day, Aubrey was relieved to see that everyone fit into the makeshift uniforms - except Amy, of course. She and Chloe measured everyone anyway so that they could order the appropriate uniform pieces from their supplier in time for regionals. The other pieces were similar enough for the SBT mixer, but they wouldn't look right for any of the competitions.

Aubrey and Chloe took Fat Amy back to their apartment so they could try and get her a fitting uniform. Luckily, Aubrey's grandmother had taught her to sew at a young age. Chloe had teased her for having a sewing machine when they'd first become roommates, but she'd eaten those words when Aubrey had fixed several torn pieces of clothing and even hemmed a pair of pants for her.

Aubrey managed to have something put together for Amy after only an hour. She'd had to sew extra pieces of unused uniforms into her blouse and skirt, but they looked pretty good.

Amy walked out of Chloe and Aubrey's bathroom. "Not bad, not bad. Who knew our fearless leader could sew?"

"Who knew you'd claim to be a size ten?" asked Aubrey.

"Chloe was the one who believed me when I said I was a size ten," said Fat Amy.

"I wasn't thinking," said Chloe.

Aubrey looked at Amy, fairly pleased with her work. From the back, the skirt was fairly obviously altered, but it would work for now. The sweater was definitely tight on Fat Amy, but it was good enough.

"Okay, I think that will work," said Aubrey. "Chloe and I will order the new uniform pieces tonight."

"Go ahead and change and I'll drop you off on campus," said Chloe.

"Thanks a bunch, Red," said Amy.

Aubrey was relieved that her sewing skills had come in handy. She wished her grandmother had still been around because she was pretty sure the woman would have been impressed. She put an order into the website for new uniforms, making sure she'd ordered a few extra pieces in the bigger sizes. She figured it wouldn't hurt to have a few spare pieces on hand.

* * *

_**Beca** _

Beca found herself standing on the steps of a fraternity house, snapping her fingers to an old disco song, and wearing an uncomfortable outfit. The group didn't even sound good. She was trying really hard to follow the basic steps and sing the song, and she knew she wasn't quite doing it right either. Fat Amy was standing next to her and was trying to be as loud as possible, which only made things worse. She could hear Aubrey and Chloe trying to sing loudly over the group, and that wasn't working either. She was both embarrassed and relieved when one of the frat guys stopped them before the song was over.

"Whoa, whoa. Stop," said the frat guy.

"I am so sorry, Howie. I know we're not performance-ready," said Aubrey.

"I wanted the hot Bellas, not this barnyard explosion," he said. "I'm not paying for this. Let's go. Come on."

As Beca expected, Aubrey was really angry with everyone. While she certainly understood Aubrey's anger, she thought both she and Chloe were crazy to expect a group of mostly brand new members to be able to put together a performance in just over a week.

"I hope you all remember the way you feel right now so you will never want to feel this way again," Aubrey said as she led the group away from the frat party. To Beca's surprise, she moved on to Chloe. "And Chloe, your voice did not sound 'Aguilerian' at all."

"How are we going to pay for Regionals?" asked Beca.

"Well, a 'Bikini Car Wash' is out of the question," said Aubrey.

"I'll give up my body for a good cause," said Fat Amy.

"Maybe we could start a singing telegram business," said Aubrey. "Thoughts, Chloe?"

Chloe stared off into space.

"Chloe," Aubrey said again. "For serious! What is wrong with you?"

"I have nodes!" Chloe exclaimed.

"What? Oh my God!" exclaimed Aubrey.

"I just found out this morning," said Chloe.

"What are nodes?" asked Beca.

"Vocal nodules," explained Aubrey. "The rubbing together of your vocal cords at above-average rates without proper lubrication."

"They sit on your windpipe and crush your dreams," said Chloe.

"Isn't that painful? Why would you keep performing?" asked Beca.

"Because I love to sing," said Chloe.

"It's like when my lady doctor told me not to have sex for six weeks and I did it anyway," said Stacie.

"You should really listen to your doctor," said Fat Amy. Stacie simply shrugged.

"The key is early diagnosis. I'm living with nodes, but I am a survivor. I just have to pull back. Because I am limited. Because I have nodes," said Chloe, with far more drama than Beca felt the situation warranted.

"Chloe, this is horrible," said Aubrey.

"Well, at least it's not herpes," said Fat Amy. "Or do you have that as well?"

Chloe looked back at Amy incredulously. "What? No!"

"Well, then, look at the bright side. You don't have herpes."

Beca was about to leave when Aubrey stopped everyone.

"I expect everyone to double their efforts at rehearsal, tomorrow!" exclaimed Aubrey.

Everyone muttered that they would. Beca quickly headed to her car and back to her apartment. She couldn't wait to get out of that uniform. Once she was changed, she headed to her dad's after texting him to say she was on her way.

* * *

Beca rang the doorbell at her dad's.

"Beca, you don't need to ring the doorbell. This is your house, too," said her dad as he let her in.

"Dad, I've never stayed here for more than a week," said Beca. "It doesn't feel like my house."

Her dad looked hurt. Beca felt a little bad about that. "Well, come on in," he said. "How was the performance?"

Beca blew out a sigh. "Awful."

"Come on, Bec, it couldn't have been that bad."

"No, Dad. It was. We didn't even get to finish the one song we'd planned. Nobody other than Chloe and Aubrey had the dance right, and we didn't even sound good. The frat guy cut us off and said he won't pay us. Aubrey wants to start a singing telegram business to pay our entry fee for regionals. I swear I've never been so embarrassed."

Beca's dad patted her arm awkwardly and she flinched at the unexpected contact. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm sure you guys will do better next time."

Beca shrugged.

The oven timer dinged. "And that's dinner!"

"What are we having, Dad?"

"I made mac and cheese - your grandmother's recipe," he said as he opened the oven and took it out.

"Wait - when did you learn to cook?"

Beca's dad chuckled. "I took some cooking classes a few years ago."

"Then, why did we always do take-out or go to Aunt Laura's for dinner when I stayed with you?"

"I was trying to make you happy and give you a treat. I knew you were mad at me for the divorce. In fact, I'm sure you still are. Anyway, Sheila got tired of being the only one who could cook. She bought me some cooking classes at the community college a few Christmases ago. I'm not great at it, but I think I do well enough. I'll let you be the judge."

Beca's dad passed out plates while Beca set the table.

"What would you like to drink?" asked Sheila.

"Iced tea, if you have it," said Beca. "If not, water's fine."

"We have iced tea. What do you like in it?"

"Lemon juice and a little sugar."

Beca sat down and had a forkful of food halfway to her mouth when she noticed her dad and stepmother had their heads bowed. "Beca, would you like to say grace?" asked Sheila.

This was new. Beca hadn't grown up saying grace, except at big family gatherings on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. She put the fork back on her plate. "Umm…" Beca couldn't think of a single word of any prayer she'd ever heard anyone say for grace. She hadn't even had to say it during her visits with her dad over the years. "I…" Beca continued to stammer.

"It's okay, Bec," said her dad. "Bless us oh Lord for these thy gifts that we're about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen."

Beca mumbled, "Amen." She looked up and glanced to see if her dad and stepmother were done before eating.

"Sorry, Beca," said her dad. "I should have told you we've been going to church lately. We started saying grace before our meals a few months ago."

"Church? That's...interesting," said Beca.

"I found a really nice place to attend church recently, and I just got your dad to join me. I grew up going to church every Sunday as a child, and I wanted to get back to that," said Sheila.

 _I guess she missed the week they went over the commandment about not fooling around with a married man,_ thought Beca. She chose not to say anything and took a bite of the mac and cheese her father had made. She thought for a few moments after she took the first bite.

"Dad, this is really good!"

"Thanks, honey," he said. "Is it as good as Gram's?"

Beca cocked her head to the side as she chewed her second bite. "Not quite, but it's pretty good. Gram's is creamier, I think."

"That's because I don't buy whole milk anymore," said Sheila. "He had to use skim milk. I don't think either of us needs that much fat."

"Sheila's really trying to help me eat better," said her dad.

 _Great, my dad remarries and ends up religious and into healthy food,_ thought Beca. _Who is this woman?_

"That's nice," said Beca. She continued to eat, hoping this would help her avoid having to talk to either of them.

Her father, however, seemed to be determined to talk to her. "So, how are your classes?"

"Fine," said Beca.

"Which one is your favorite?" he asked.

Beca shrugged.

"Come on, honey, you must have a favorite," he said.

"I don't know," said Beca. "Music Theory, I guess."

"You always did love music," he said. "When Beca was little, we enrolled her in dance class. Her teacher told us how she'd bring class to a grinding halt by bursting into song randomly at the top of her lungs."

"Dad…"

"Come on, honey, it's a cute story."

Beca rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said, motioning for him to get the embarrassing stories over with.

"So, for her first recital, her teacher talked Beca into singing a solo to 'Good Ship Lollipop.' She forgot the words about halfway through the song and kind of did this slow-motion fall on the stage. She finally stood up and finished the song."

Beca simply put her face in her hands. It was one of her most embarrassing childhood stories, and she really wished he hadn't picked _that_ story to tell the stepmonster.

"Her teacher talked us into having her audition for community theater, and-"

"Dad, stop!"

"What?"

"Just, please stop." Beca didn't know why her dad was choosing now to tell Sheila about Beca's history, but she knew she didn't like it. It always led to him bragging about her tiny claim to fame, and it made her feel weird.

"Okay, okay," said her dad. "How was work today, Sheila?"

"It was good," she said. "But this week's staff meeting was pretty weird. Jimmy got up and announced that he was gay and that his 'roommate' is actually his 'boyfriend'." Sheila did air quotes when saying "roommate" and "boyfriend".

Beca swallowed hard. Her father and stepmother had no idea she was gay, and this certainly wasn't the time to tell them.

Sheila continued. "I don't know what the big deal is. I mean, everyone knows it's just a phase."

"What?" Beca was so taken aback that she'd momentarily forgotten herself.

Sheila went on. "Nobody is born gay, you know. People just get exposed to things, or they're abused. I bet Jimmy got rejected by women, so he turned to men. Or, maybe his uncle touched him when he was little. I don't know."

Beca couldn't believe her ears. She tried as hard as she could not to show how angry the stepmonster was making her.

"I don't know why he had to tell everyone anyway. I guess he wanted us all to be uncomfortable."

Beca was biting down so hard on her bottom lip, she could taste blood. She glanced down at her phone, pretending to receive a text.

"Dad, I have to go," she said.

"Beca, you've only been here twenty minutes. You haven't finished your dinner."

"I know," she said. "I just got a text. There's...an emergency Bellas' meeting."

"What could possibly be an emergency?" asked her father.

"I told you the performance was really bad. I guess Aubrey has a new idea or something," she said. "So...I need to get over to the meeting. Have to join in, you know?"

"Beca…"

"Bye, Dad," she said, getting up from the table. "Thanks for dinner."

She left, not wanting to discuss anything further. She hadn't meant to hurt her dad, but she couldn't stand listening to her stepmother any longer. She didn't even look back in their direction.

* * *

Beca burst into tears when she was finally inside her car. She grabbed a tissue from her glove compartment and wiped her eyes before starting the car. She didn't want to stay in her car in front of her dad's place long enough for him to come after her, not that she was sure he was doing that.

She headed straight to her apartment, tears still leaking her eyes as she got out of the car. She didn't even notice that Jesse had parked next to her until she heard him call her name.

"Beca?"

Beca sniffled. "What?"

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"That bad?"

Beca nodded.

"Come here," he said, opening his arms for a hug. Beca was absolutely not a hugger, but she found herself walking toward him anyway. Her stepmother's words were like a knife through her heart, and the hug helped.

When she pulled away, he said, "Here, let me walk you to your apartment." Beca led him to her second-floor apartment.

"So, this is me," she said, fishing in her pocket for her key.

"You seem pretty upset. Do you want me to stay?"

Beca shrugged.

"Do you have a roommate?"

"No, it's just me here."

"I'll go if you want, but you look like you could use some company."

"Okay," said Beca. "Come on in."

"Thanks," said Jesse. "Mind if I drop my bag here?" he asked, pointing to an end table near the door.

"Go ahead," said Beca.

"I know you don't want to talk about what happened," said Jesse. "But, are you hungry?"

Beca thought for a moment. She'd only managed a few bites of mac and cheese before the stepmonster had ruined dinner. "Yeah, actually, I am."

Jesse immediately started opening cabinets in her apartment. As he moved onto the refrigerator, Beca asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm looking for something to eat."

"I have takeout menus in one of the drawers."

"Wait a minute," said Jesse. "Do you not know how to cook?"

"I can make toast, well, if I had a toaster, I could, and I can pour cereal."

"That's not cooking."

"Why? Do you know how to cook?"

"Yeah," said Jesse. "My mom taught me. Did your mom not teach you?"

"No, she never had the time, being a single mother and all."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"It's whatever," said Beca. "I was eight when they divorced. I almost don't remember my parents being married."

"Do you still spend time with your dad?"

"Unfortunately."

"Oh," said Jesse.

"Look, I don't want to dump this on you."

"Beca, I'm trying to be your friend. Tell me. If it will make you feel better to get it off your chest."

Beca took a deep breath. "Okay, here goes, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Jesse stood silently, apparently waiting for her to continue.

"I don't really remember my parents being happily married. I mean, I guess they were happy at some point. I'm an only child, and, as I said, I was eight when they were divorced. My dad was cheating on my mom with this younger woman who I call the stepmonster. She's ten years younger than my dad. It's gross. Anyway, my dad is the reason I'm in college. He teaches at Barden. He suckered me into going to their place for dinner tonight. I got maybe a quarter of the way through my mac and cheese before Sheila the Stepmonster went on a homophobic tirade."

"She doesn't know you're gay, does she?"

"No, and neither does my dad. I couldn't stand to listen to the awful things she was saying, so I pretended that the Bellas had some weird emergency meeting and got out of there like my ass was on fire."

"That's awful. I'm so sorry," said Jesse. "I think I found enough stuff to make spaghetti. Is that okay? It won't be my homemade sauce, but it should work well enough."

"Sure, Jesse. Thanks."

Jesse hummed to himself as he cooked. Beca appreciated that he hadn't pushed her to reiterate the awful things Sheila had said.

"Bon appetit," said Jesse, as he handed her a plate of spaghetti.

"Thanks," said Beca. She took a bite and was impressed. Jesse had done a good job. She wasn't even sure why she'd bought pasta and sauce, but she was glad she had.

"I'll have to have you come to my place sometime. I'll cook you a real dinner. Don't mind my roommate, though. Benji's a good guy. He's just kind of weird."

"How did you end up as roommates?" asked Beca.

"My dad is an old friend of his dad's. They went to Hebrew school together. I didn't know Benji when we were growing up, but our dads have stayed in touch throughout the years. When we both got into Barden, our parents realized it would be cheaper for the two of us to share an off-campus apartment."

"Interesting."

"Yeah, so I walked in on the day we'd planned to move in and he'd already chosen a bedroom and had covered it with Star Wars posters. But, he's the reason I auditioned for the Treblemakers."

"Is he a Treble?"

"No, he didn't get in. I think he weirded out Bumper."

"Too bad."

"So, your dad works at Barden? Why aren't you in a dorm?"

"I might have accidentally-on-purpose forgotten to apply for housing in time," said Beca, smirking.

Jesse grinned. "I bet your dad was pissed."

"He was a little, yeah. He was hoping I'd live with him and the stepmonster," said Beca, making a face. "Sure, Dad, I haven't lived with you in ten years, but I'll go ahead and move in with you and the hooker. Even my mom told my dad that was a dumb idea."

"Is your stepmother a hooker?"

Beca rolled her eyes. "No. I just call her that because of the affair. She's a pharmaceutical sales rep. She was already living here in Atlanta, but she traveled all the time to Seattle. My dad left my mom for her. Now she has him 'eating healthy' and 'going to church'." Beca did air quotes for "eating healthy" and "going to church".

"I guess she missed the day they discussed the sanctity of marriage?" asked Jesse.

"Pretty much my thoughts," said Beca.

"She sounds like she sucks," said Jesse.

"She does."

Beca felt better after spending some time with Jesse. He really was a good friend. He'd even insisted on cleaning up the dinner he'd cooked. He pulled her into a hug as she showed him to the door. "Thanks, Jesse."

"Anytime," he said, giving her a small wave as he headed toward the stairwell.

* * *

_**Chloe** _

Chloe was sitting at the kitchen table in her apartment, typing away on her laptop, determined to get a good chunk of her English term-paper done that night, when she heard Aubrey enter the apartment with a basket of neatly folded laundry and yell, "I knew it!"

"What?" asked Chloe, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. She'd really been in the zone, and it wasn't like Aubrey to disturb her.

"I saw them!"

"Saw...who?"

"Beca and that new Treble. Jesse. I _knew_ they were hooking up."

"Are you sure?" asked Chloe. "What did you see?"

"I saw Beca hugging Jesse outside her apartment. She thanked him for something."

"That doesn't mean they hooked up."

"You _seriously_ believe she's gay?"

"Well, yeah," said Chloe. "Doesn't she trip your gaydar?"

"Well, maybe a little," said Aubrey. "But, I still think she hooked up with Jesse."

"Aubrey, it's like, 9:30 at night. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be leaving this early if they'd hooked up. And, you said you saw them hugging. Don't you think they'd at least be kissing if something was going on?"

Aubrey appeared to be mulling this over.

"Besides," Chloe continued. "You know we need Beca. If you throw her out, we're under the minimum number of performers. You're either going to have to hold another audition, or invite Kori or Mary Elise back."

"I don't know when we'd hold auditions, and I'm not inviting Kori or Mary Elise back."

"Then, it's settled. Beca stays."

Aubrey scoffed, but she didn't say anything further.

"I'm going to take my laptop and work on my paper in my room. Goodnight, Aubrey."

"'Night, Chloe."


	8. Chapter 8

**_Chloe_ **

Chloe stood in her bathroom, waiting to hear the shower next door. When she did, she began to sing.

 _Ooh this my shit  
_ _All the girls stamp your feet like this_

 _Few times I've been around that track  
_ _So it's not just gonna happen like that  
_ _'Cause I ain't no hollaback girl  
_ _I ain't no hollaback girl_

“Chloe, no! You need to rest your voice!”

Chloe loved to sing, especially in the shower, and even more now that she had a duet partner. She continued.

 _Few times I've been around that track  
_ _So it's not just gonna happen like that  
_ _'Cause I ain't no hollaback girl  
_ _I ain't no hollaback girl_

 _This my shit, this my shit  
_ _This my shit, this my shit  
_ _This my shit, this my shit  
_ _This my shit, this my shit_

Beca still hadn’t joined her. “Come on, Beca! I know you know this one!”

Chloe tried to avoid squealing when she heard Beca continue the [ song ](https://youtu.be/Kgjkth6BRRY).

 _I heard that you were talking shit  
_ _And you didn't think that I would hear it  
_ _People hear you talking like that, getting everybody fired up  
_ _So I'm ready to attack, gonna lead the pack  
_ _Gonna get a touchdown, gonna take you out  
_ _That's right, put your pom-poms down, getting everybody fired up_

She joined Beca for the next part.

 _Few times I've been around that track  
_ _So it's not just gonna happen like that  
_ _'Cause I ain't no hollaback girl  
_ _I ain't no hollaback girl_

 _Few times I've been around that track  
_ _So it's not just gonna happen like that  
_ _'Cause I ain't no hollaback girl  
_ _I ain't no hollaback girl_

They continued the song, volleying back and forth like they usually did. Chloe had no idea how the two of them managed to put duets together so flawlessly with a shower wall between them, but she definitely knew she liked it.

She was surprised to see Beca waiting for her outside the front door as she left her apartment. She handed her a travel mug.

“Beca, what’s this?”

“It’s hot tea with honey,” said Beca. “If I can’t talk you out of singing, I can at least give you something for your throat.”

Chloe wrapped her in a tight hug, making her jump a little. “Thanks so much!”

“You’re welcome,” said Beca, gasping for air. “Could you let go, please? I can’t breathe!”

“Sorry,” said Chloe. “We’d better head to campus. I’ll see you at practice!”

“I’ll be there,” said Beca.

“Thanks again for the tea,” said Chloe. “I’ll give back the mug as soon as possible.”

“Well, it’s not like you don’t know where I live,” said Beca, chuckling.

As Chloe walked to her car, she wondered if she should warn Beca about what Aubrey saw. She decided to leave it for now. Maybe she’d try talking to Beca about it later.

* * *

**_Aubrey_ **

When everyone had arrived, Aubrey said, “Before we start practice, I wanted to share that the aca-gods have smiled down on us. We have received a donation of $250 from an anonymous donor, which happens to be our entry fee to regionals. So, at least for now, we will not be doing singing telegrams.”

Aubrey could see Beca fidgeting nervously out of the corner of her eye while the rest of the Bellas cheered. She wondered why.

Aubrey had come up with a pretty good idea for practice. They’d spend this one working on “The Sign” until they got that one correct. They’d move on to the transition to “Eternal Flame” and perfect that one. Chloe figured that one wouldn’t be too difficult because it had the easiest choreography of the three songs. Finally, they’d work on “Turn the Beat Around.” If they spent a few practices focusing on each song, they’d definitely learn it better.

“Our new uniforms should be here by Saturday, so we’re going to spend some time Sunday going over exactly how the uniforms are worn. We also need to spend some time on hairdos. Most of the hairdos you guys chose for SBT were not within the ‘Bella guidelines.’”

“There are guidelines?” asked Beca.

Aubrey took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly to keep herself from jumping down the girl’s throat. “They were in the e-mail we sent each of you when you accepted the invite.”

The group exchanged confused glances. Aubrey grabbed her phone and checked through her sent mail.

“It’s right here! The attachment is called ‘Barden Bellas Standards and Practices’.”

“That forty-page attachment? I got bored after page two,” said Fat Amy.

“Anyway,” said Aubrey. “As you will see, on page nine, there is a list and pictures of acceptable hairstyles when wearing your Bella uniform.”

The new members pulled out their phones to find the document.

“I don’t know how to do any of those hairstyles,” said Beca.

“Don’t worry, Beca,” said Chloe. I can walk over or you can come to our place. I’ll do your hair.”

“Anyone else?” asked Aubrey.

“What about me?” asked Cynthia Rose. “I can’t put my hair in any of these!”

“Just, make it neat,” said Aubrey. “Okay, let’s get started. Get into your places for ‘The Sign’,” said Aubrey.

After three hours, the group seemed to finally have “The Sign” down pat. Aubrey assembled the group for an aca-huddle, cringing again when the new recruits still couldn’t all sing on “three.”

“Okay, everyone, nice job today. We’ll practice this again tomorrow a few times before moving on to ‘Eternal Flame’.”

Only after dismissing practice did Aubrey realize Beca had left before she could talk to her about having seen her with Jesse the day before. She decided, for now, she’d let it go. She wasn’t going to lose the riff-off or any other competition on a technicality. She needed Beca to keep the minimum number of performers.

* * *

**_Beca_ **

Beca was almost positive the “anonymous donation” was from her father. Part of her wanted to thank him for sparing her the embarrassment involved in whatever ridiculous “singing telegram” business Aubrey had in mind. However, part of her was upset with him. Sheila had said some awful things, and she really felt like he should have shut that down, even though he didn’t know he had a gay daughter. She texted him after she got home from practice to see if he could talk, hoping the stepmonster wasn’t around. She thought it best to try and see him during his office hours, which she found on Barden’s website.

She went to his office, relieved that he wasn’t with a student.

“Hi, Beca.”

“Hi, Dad.”

“How are things?”

“Fine, I guess. We got an anonymous donation that just so happens to be the exact amount needed for our entry fee for regionals. Care to explain?”

“Should I remind you what anonymous means?” asked her dad.

“It’s awfully convenient that this happened right after the disastrous performance. Come on, Dad. I’m not stupid.”

“Fine, Bec. It was me. I don’t think a singing telegram business would work, so I thought I’d help.”

“Thanks. So, how did you know the entry fee?”

“I googled it.”

Beca was impressed. He’d barely managed texting in recent years. “Nice, Dad. I didn’t know you knew how.”

“I’m not _that_ old.”

Beca laughed.

“Okay, technology isn’t my thing, but I’m learning. Was there anything else?”

Beca wasn’t ready to come out to her dad, and she definitely didn’t want to discuss the words that had come out of Sheila’s mouth the last time she saw them. “No, I guess not.”

“Okay. When is the regional competition?”

“Two weeks from Saturday.”

“Sorry, I can’t make it. I already promised to go to a family thing for Sheila. I’ll catch the next one, okay?”

Beca hadn’t actually invited him, but she didn’t mention that. She needed to stay on his good side if she wanted help moving to LA. “Yeah, okay.”

Just then, a student appeared in the doorway. “Hi, Jim. I’ll be with you in a moment.”

“It’s okay, Dad. I should go.”

“Bye, Beca. It was nice seeing you.”

“Yeah. Bye.”

Beca slipped out before her dad could introduce her to his student. She knew he wanted to, but she wasn’t interested.

* * *

Beca found herself at Jesse’s that Saturday night. He’d insisted on having her over for dinner that night. She’d spent a fair amount of time at their shift at the radio station venting about how she’d kill herself if she had to make a heart shape with her hands one more time that day. She’d been so irritated, she’d forgotten to give Luke her mix and try to talk him into playing her song.

She came over with a bottle of Coke, feeling like she should contribute somehow. She rang the doorbell and was greeted by a guy in a Star Wars shirt, wearing a black cape and a top hat, and holding a magic wand.

“Hi, I’m Beca. You’re Benji, right?”

“I am,” he said. “Come in. Jesse’s almost finished cooking.”

“Thanks. I brought this,” she said, handing him the bottle.

Benji put the soda on the small table in what passed for a dining room in their apartment.

“While we wait for Jesse, do you want to see some magic?” he asked.

Before Beca could respond, he waved his wand and produced a small red scarf out of thin air.

“Wow,” said Beca. “Do you know any other tricks?”

“I know tons,” said Benji. “I saw the Treblemakers perform at Mall of America, like, three years ago. They did an arrangement of Lovin’ Spoonful’s ‘Do You Believe in Magic.’ Totally changed my life and inspired me to become a certified illusionist.” He waved his wand again and revealed a hamster.

“Cute!” exclaimed Beca. “How long has that little guy been...wherever you kept him?”

“A couple of days,” said Benji.

“You’d better go put him in his cage,” said Beca.

“Right,” said Benji, heading off to his bedroom.

“Things will be ready in another minute or two,” said Jesse.

“Do you want me to pour drinks?” asked Beca.

“Sure,” said Jesse.

“I brought some Coke,” she said.

“Great,” said Jesse. 

When Beca walked into the kitchen, she saw Jesse standing at the stove, stirring something in a big pot. “Where do you keep your glasses?” she asked.

Jesse pointed to a cabinet. “Up there,” he said. 

Just as Beca finished pouring the drinks, Jesse said, “Dinner is served.”

“What are we having?” asked Beca.

“Chili con carne,” said Jesse in a terribly affected Mexican accent.

Beca shook her head, chuckling softly. She took a bite. It was really good. It had enough spice to give it a kick, but not enough to burn her mouth.

Once they were done, Beca insisted on doing the dishes. Benji excused himself to his room.

“Do you want to stick around?” asked Jesse. “It’s not all that late.”

“I guess so,” said Beca. “What did you want to do?”

“As much as I love spending time with you stacking CD’s. And I do, like, more than life. I thought we could do other fun things that wouldn’t make us want to kill ourselves, right?”

Jesse walked toward the television, pulling out a stack of DVD’s. “I thought we could choose a movie. I’ve got _Jaws, E.T., The Breakfast Club, Star Wars,_ and _Rocky._ Best scored and sound-tracked movies of all time. That’s what I want to do when I grow up. I want to score movies. Bring people to tears. Blow people’s minds. I feel like only music can do that.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“So, what do you want to watch first?”

“Can we do something else?” asked Beca. “We could relive my parents’ divorce, or visit a gynecologist.”

Jesse looked shocked. “What, do you not like movies or something?” Beca just looked back at him, her silence hopefully sending the message. “Like, any movies?”

“I watched a porno at a high school party once. The music was okay if you’re big into sax solos -- “

“You don’t - what the hell is wrong with you? How do you not like movies? Not liking movies is like not liking...puppies.”

“Movies are fine. I just get bored and never make it to the end. I like puppies, though.”

“Endings are the best part!” Jesse looked like he was about to burst into tears.

“Hey, you don’t have to cry. It’s just that they’re so predictable. The guy gets the girl, the kid sees dead people, and Darth Vader is Luke’s father…”

“Right. You just _happened_ to guess the biggest reveal in cinematic history,” said Jesse.

“Vader in German means father. His name is _literally_ Darth Father.”

“Huh, so you know German. Well, now I know why you don’t like fun things,” he said. “You need a movie education. You need a ‘moviecation.’ And I’m going to give it to you.”

“Yeah, in between Bellas’ rehearsals, which are always-”

“Are you guys getting ready for the riff-off?”

“What the hell is a riff-off?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure I understood when Bumper told me. You should probably ask Aubrey and Chloe.”

“Not even a hint?”

“It’s a contest between all of the Barden a cappella groups. I got that much. I guess we’ll figure it out when we get there.”

“Okay, whatever,” said Beca.

“So, do you at least watch television?”

Beca rolled her eyes. “Of course I watch television.”

“I like the older stuff. _Cheers_ , _Frasier_ , _Seinfeld_ , _Family Matters_.”

“Any of them, I guess. You choose.”

Jesse chose _Cheers_ , and the two of them relaxed on his couch, laughing at the many funny moments.

“You know Shelley Long left this series to pursue movies?” Beca shook her head. “Didn’t work out so well for her. A lot of people think it was pretty stupid of her.”

“Well, what do you think?”

“I can’t say I see any real harm in pursuing your dreams. I can’t blame her for trying.”

“That’s why I want to move to LA,” said Beca. “I’m only in college because my dad insisted I go. I couldn’t afford to move out there myself, and my mom couldn’t afford to help me.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” said Jesse.

“Don’t get used to it,” said Beca. She told him about the deal she’d made with her father.

“Well, for selfish reasons, I really hope you change your mind.”

“Thanks,” said Beca. “I think. I just hope I don’t get kicked out before the year is over.”

“Why would they kick you out?” asked Jesse.

“Aubrey doesn’t like me.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, there’s the ear spike, and she thinks I have a crush on you. I told her I’m gay, but I don’t think she believes me.”

“I can’t say Bumper is a whole lot better. He actually suggested we wear the official Treble jacket in bed.”

“Ewwwww,” said Beca.

“And I feel bad that Benji isn’t a Treble. He has an amazing voice. He got invited to the BU Harmonics, but he turned them down. He’d only ever wanted to be a Treblemaker, but he totally weirded Bumper out at the activities fair.”

“Poor guy,” said Beca.

“Yeah,” said Jesse. “He said he’s going to go to every a cappella event he can, just in case we need him to fill in.”

“Which Bumper will never let happen,” said Beca.

“Never,” said Jesse.

* * *

**_Chloe_ **

The next morning, Chloe started another shower duet.

 _If I could escape  
_ _I would, but first of all, let me say  
_ _I must apologize for acting, stinking, treating you this way  
_ _Cause I've been acting like sour milk that fell on the floor  
_ _It's your fault you didn't shut the refrigerator  
_ _Maybe that's the reason I've been acting so cold_

“Gwen Stefani again, Chloe?” she heard Beca call from her side of the wall.

Chloe simply laughed and continued.

 _If I could escape  
_ _And recreate a place as my own world  
_ _And I could be your favorite girl_

“Beca, don’t make me sing this all by myself!”

Beca joined in.

 _Forever, perfectly together  
_ _Tell me, boy, now wouldn't that be sweet?_

They continued to sing “[ Sweet Escape ](https://youtu.be/psrjbmOv4RA).”

Again, Chloe found Beca handing her a travel mug of hot tea with honey. “That reminds me,” she said, fishing the other mug out of her bag. “Here’s your other one. I washed it.”

“Thanks,” said Beca. “Do you have a minute? I need to ask you something.”

“Sure,” said Chloe.

“Jesse said the Trebles are preparing for a...riff-off? What the fuck is that?”

“Oh, yeah, that’s next week. It’s a contest between the a cappella groups at Barden. One group starts, and then another group sings something different, and then another group goes until someone is cut off.”

“What?”

“You’ll see.”

Chloe knew she’d done a poor job of explaining the riff-off, but it really was easier to figure it out while participating.

“Okay,” said Beca. “I guess I’ll see you at practice.”

“Want to drive together?” asked Chloe.

“I would, but I have a shift at the radio station after practice.”

“Oh,” said Chloe, trying to hide her disappointment. “Well, I’ll see you in a little bit.”

Chloe tried to talk to Aubrey before practice. “So, should we explain the riff-off? Beca was asking about it, and I tried to explain it. I couldn’t find the words.”

“Why was Beca asking?”

“Jesse told her the Trebles were preparing for it.”

“I _knew_ she was hooking up with Jesse.”

“Aubrey, just because Beca talked to Jesse doesn’t mean they were hooking up. You know they work together at the radio station.”

“And I know what happens there.”

“What?”

“Come on, Chloe. Everyone knows the interns usually hook up when they’re supposed to be working.”

“Beca’s gay, Aubrey. She’s told us that.”

“She could be experimenting,” said Aubrey.

“Usually it’s people experimenting with same-sex partners, Aubrey. Isn’t that how you figured it out?”

Aubrey picked that time to call the practice to order. _Changing the subject, as usual,_ thought Chloe. 

“Okay, ladies,” said Aubrey. “Let’s get started.”

They led the practice. The group had the first two songs down pretty well, so they moved on to “Turn the Beat Around.”

After two hours, the song looked okay. It still needed work, but Chloe couldn’t continue to sing her solo that day. It was really hurting her throat.

“Okay, everyone,” said Chloe. “This Saturday is the riff-off.”

Several of the new members exchanged confused glances and/or murmured questions.

“It’s a game where-”

“Chloe! The riff-off is serious business! It’s not a _game_!”

“Okay, fine. It’s a _contest_ where we sing parts of songs and then another group comes in and we try to finish before we’re cut off,” said Chloe.

This explanation didn’t seem to be helping. The new Bellas continued to exchange confused looks.

“Just watch us on Saturday. You’ll catch on,” said Aubrey.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Beca**_

Beca and the other new Bellas walked around what Beca soon realized was an empty pool. She saw Benji talking to the Trebles before Bumper made an exaggerated gesture indicating that Benji needed to leave the pool. She heard him loudly sing the words "in the sweet spot…" and then head toward a ladder to climb out of the pool and sit on the edge.

Justin pointed to the BU Harmonics and said, "Hit it." The group all made "police siren" noises that initially made Beca look around for an actual police car for a second.

"Welcome to the riff-off! Our 17th annual singing competition - elimination-style!" exclaimed Justin. "Who's ready to get vocal?"

The groups cheered.

"The winning team wins the greatest prize of all. The microphone used by Hoobastank when they rocked out at the Schnee Performing Arts Center!"

Justin explained the rules. "To win, you must steal the song away from the group that is singing by picking off a word of their song and making it the first word of yours. If you can't think of a song, you are…" He clapped twice.

The groups joined him in saying, "Cut off."

"If you repeat a song, you are…"

More people clapped with Justin. "Cut off."

"If you suck, you are…"

Everyone clapped twice. "Cut off."

Beca heard Cynthia Rose whisper to Aubrey, "This is really intricate."

"It is," Aubrey whispered back. "It's true. Pay attention."

Jesse waved to Beca. Then, he mouthed and gestured, "I'm taking you down."

Beca mouthed back, "I don't care." She smirked at him.

"Fair," he mouthed back.

Justin said, "I would like to wish all the competitors a lot of luck. I wish I was born different, and I wish I had an ounce of talent. Anyways, let's see our first category."

He held a remote control projector to the wall of the pool, revealing an image of a wheel with a lot of different categories on it. He hit a button on the remote to "spin" the wheel.

"Ladies of the '80s!" he read. Beca saw Aubrey get excited and head toward the middle, only to be a split second behind Bumper.

Bumper began:

 _Oh, Mickey, you're so fine  
_ _You're so fine you blow my mind..._

The Trebles joined in:

 _Hey, Mickey! Hey Mickey!  
_ _Oh, Mickey, you're so fine -_

A BU Harmonic jumped in.

 _You're so fine, and you're mine,  
_ _I'll be yours till the end of time,  
_ ' _Cause you make me feel..._

"Bologna Barb," Aubrey muttered.

Beca turned to Chloe and whispered, "Why did Aubrey call her 'Bologna Barb'?"

"Her boobs look like bologna," Chloe whispered back.

Beca immediately noticed the girl didn't wear a bra and her boobs definitely looked like bologna. She snickered at the nickname.

The other BU Harmonics joined Barb.

 _Yeah, you make me feel,  
_ _Shiny and new.  
_ _Like a virgin. Hey!  
_ _Touched for the very first time._

Aubrey turned to the group and whispered, "Okay, guys. Watch and learn."

The BU Harmonics continued.

 _Touch me for the first time.  
_ _Like -_

Aubrey ran up to the group.

 _Like the one in me  
_ _That's okay  
_ _Let's see how you do it  
_ _Put up your dukes,  
_ _Now get down to it_

It took Beca a second to recognize the song.

 _Hit me with your best shot!  
_ _Why don't you hit me with your best shot!  
_ _Hit me with your best shot, fire away -_

Someone from the High Notes jumped in.

 _Away!  
_ _It must have been love...  
_ _But it's over now!  
_ _But it's over right now_

It was horrible-sounding. She had the right lyrics, mostly, but that was about as good as it got. Her group didn't even join her. They just laughed. Justin stopped her.

"The negative effects of medicinal marijuana, folks. You are…" He clapped twice. "Cut off!"

The rest of the groups laughed while the High Notes still appeared to find the whole thing funny. "Stony Baloney," said Justin.

The next category was "Christian Rock."

Barb ran up, her "bologna boobs" bouncing.

 _Life is a mystery  
_ _Everyone must stand alone  
_ _I hear you call my name  
_ _And it feels like home_

The other group members joined her.

 _When you call my name  
_ _It's like a little prayer  
_ _I'm down on my knees  
_ _I want to take you there_

Justin stopped them. "Nice try, there, folks. Just because it has the word 'prayer' does not make it Christian Rock. You are…" He clapped twice. "Cut off! Two groups remain!"

Beca turned to Chloe. "So, we just pick any song that works?"

"Yeah."

"And just go with it?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Nice."

The next category was "Songs About Sex."

To everyone's surprise, Cynthia Rose started.

 _Na-na-na, c'mon  
_ _Na-na-na-na-na, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon_

The others joined, and Stacie danced with her, Cynthia Rose grinding behind her.

 _'Cause I may be bad, but I'm perfectly good at it  
_ _Sex in the air  
_ _I don't care, I love the smell of it  
_ _Sticks and stones may break my bones  
_ _But chains and whips excite me  
_ _'Cause I may be bad, but I'm perfectly good at it  
_ _Sex -_

Donald walked up to Stacie (who had been singing "c'mon, c'mon, c'mon I like it, like it") and cut in.

 _Sex, baby  
_ _Let's talk about you and me_

The Trebles soon joined him.

 _Let's talk about all the good things  
_ _And the bad things that may be  
_ _Let's talk about sex  
_ _Let's talk about sex, baby -_

Stacie continued to stand in front of him until Aubrey pulled her away. Beca smirked at the obvious jealousy in Aubrey's eyes.

Stacie muttered an apology to Aubrey before putting up a finger and saying, "Oh, wait I have one."

 _Baby, all through the night  
_ _I'll make love to you  
_ _Like you want me to  
_ _And I -_

Beca could see Aubrey looking horrified. She managed to avoid the urge to laugh at Aubrey's obvious crush on Stacie. She was relieved when Jesse cut her off because she was about to bust out laughing.

 _And I guess it's just the woman in you  
_ _That brings out the man in me  
_ _I know I can't help myself  
_ _You're all in the world to me_

Beca blew him a kiss as he sang. She knew he was doing this to get under Aubrey's skin, so she played along.

 _It feels like the first time  
_ _It feels like the very first time  
_ _It feels like the first time_

Beca immediately thought of just the right song to jump in.

_It's going down fade to Blackstreet_

_The homies got RB collab creations  
_ _Bump like acne, no doubt  
_ _I put it down never slouch  
_ _As long as my credit could vouch  
_ _A dog couldn't catch me, straight up  
_ _  
Tell me who could stop when Dre making moves  
_ _Attracting honeys like a magnet  
_ _Giving them eargasms with my mellow accent  
_ _Still moving this flavor with homies Blackstreet and Teddy  
_ _The original rump shakers_

Beca couldn't believe nobody had joined in yet. She paused for a moment.

Jesse nodded at her and said, "Keep going."

 _Shorty get down, good Lord  
_ _Baby got them up open all over town_

Fat Amy finally joined in.

 _Strictly biz she don't play around  
_ _Cover much ground got game by the pound_

Most of the rest of the Bellas caught on and joined in.

 _Getting paid is her forte  
_ _Each and every day, true player way  
_ _I can't get her outta my mind  
_ _I think about the girl all the time  
_ _  
I like the way you work it  
_ _No diggity, I got to bag it up, baby  
_ _I like the way you work it  
_ _No diggity, I got to bag it up, baby_

Beca had really found her swagger at this point and was loving this. Even the other groups and the various students sitting on the edge of the pool began to join in.

 _I like the way you work it  
_ _No diggity, I got to bag it up, babe_

 _I like the way you work it  
_ _No diggity, I got to bag it up_

 _I like the way you work it  
_ _No diggity, I got to bag it up, babe_

 _I like the way you work it  
_ _No diggity, I got to bag it up  
_ _We out_

Beca was so proud of herself. She'd had the crowd in the palm of her hand, something she hadn't experienced since her acting days.

"I mean, you're welcome," she said.

"It's a tough blow, ladies," said Justin. "The word you needed to match was 'it,' and you sang 'it's.' I didn't stop you because, and I think I can speak for everyone, I could not believe what I was watching. However, you are... " He clapped twice. "Cut off."

"Are you serious?" Beca asked. She could not believe what she was hearing.

"The Trebles win!" exclaimed Justin.

"I'm sorry. It was awesome," said Jesse.

"I've never heard that rule!" exclaimed Aubrey. "Ladies, ladies. Come on. Come back. Before everybody goes to bed tonight, I need you to make a list of everything we did wrong."

"Guys, what we just did was great, right?" asked Beca.

"Calm your pits, Beca. We still lost," said Aubrey.

"Yeah, but it was spontaneous. It was awesome. We were actually listening to-"

Aubrey cut her off. "Okay, everybody, hands in. 'Ahh' on my count."

"On three or after three?" asked Stacie.

A few members replied, "On three" while a few others said, "After three."

"That's not how we do it," said Aubrey.

"Why can't we figure this out?" asked Stacie.

* * *

_**Chloe** _

Chloe and Aubrey sat at the kitchen table in their apartment. Chloe grabbed a White Claw for each of them. "Thought you could use this," said Chloe.

"Thanks," said Aubrey. "I'm just so...frustrated! I have never heard that rule! I thought Beca nailed it, but we got cut off on a technicality."

"I'm sure Bumper had something to do with it," said Chloe. "Justin practically worships him and the Trebles."

"You think so?"

"I saw him carrying Bumper's food _and_ his books in the dining hall the other day. I'm sure they would have found some other reason not to give us the win if Beca had matched the word. Besides, I didn't hear _you_ coming up with anything."

"Maybe so," said Aubrey. "I probably shouldn't have yelled at Beca."

"Are you sure that's the only reason you're upset?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw how you looked at Stacie."

"What?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "I know a jealous woman when I see one. I'm surprised you didn't back her up against the wall of the pool and-"

"Chloe!"

"You think I don't notice the amount of time in practice you spend checking her out?"

Aubrey sighed. "Doesn't matter. She's probably straight anyway."

"I don't think so," said Chloe.

"You don't?"

Chloe shook her head. "I saw her blatantly staring at your ass the other day."

Aubrey blushed.

"You should ask her out."

"You think?"

"Totes."

"Maybe," said Aubrey, finishing her drink. She yawned. "Okay, I'm hitting the sack. Thanks for the talk."

"What are friends for?"

As Chloe lay in bed that night, she couldn't get the image of Beca singing and rapping to "No Diggity" out of her head. There was just something special about the tiny girl. And, seriously, that was easily the hottest thing she'd ever seen at a riff-off.

* * *

_**Beca** _

Beca invited Jesse to her place to hang out Friday night. She was only somewhat surprised when he showed up with Benji in tow.

"Hey, Jesse," said Beca.

"Hi, Beca. I probably should have texted, but…" Jesse trailed off, subtly nodding toward his roommate.

"Hi, Benji," she said. "Glad you could join us."

"Thanks for having me," said Benji.

"You're welcome anytime," said Beca. "So, what do you guys want for dinner?"

"I thought you didn't cook," said Jesse.

"I don't," said Beca. "But even _I_ can handle taking something out of the freezer and putting it in the oven."

"What do you have?" asked Jesse.

Beca opened her freezer. "I have a lasagna, chicken pot pie, and chicken tenders. Do you guys want any of those? If not, I can order something for delivery."

"I'll eat any of them," said Jesse. "Benji?"

"So will I, but maybe chicken pot pie?"

"Fine with me," said Beca. She took a minute to read the directions before turning on her oven. "Okay, this is going to take about an hour and a half. So, what do you guys want to do?"

"Could you show us how you make your mixes?" Jesse asked.

"Okay," said Beca, walking over to the small desk in the corner of her living room. "You'll have to take turns with the headphones. I didn't bring my computer speakers when I moved."

She put on the headphones and pointed to the different controls on her mixing program. "I find songs with the same chord progressions and create a track that blends them all together. This is the new bass line, this matches up the downbeats and I'm talking really loud, aren't I?" She took off the headphones and pointed to another track on the program. "And that's me singing."

She put the headphones on Jesse and let him listen. A smile spread across his face almost instantly. "This is really good! Now I'm yelling, right?"

Beca nodded. "Benji?"

Benji had a similar reaction. "This is amazing, Beca!" Both Beca and Jesse winced. He took off the headphones. "Sorry."

"Don't be," said Beca.

"Do you want to see my latest trick?" asked Benji.

"Sure," said Beca.

"Do you have a spoon?" asked Benji.

"Yeah," said Beca, grabbing one out of her kitchen drawer.

"Watch as I bend the spoon with the power of my mind!" Benji appeared to be bending her spoon. Just as Beca was about to complain that he'd wrecked her spoon, he did another "magic hand gesture" and gave her the spoon, perfectly intact.

"Nice trick," said Beca. "Have you thought about doing birthday parties? I bet kids would love your act!"

"I would, but I don't have a car, and Jesse is always at Treble rehearsals."

"Do you have a driver's license?"

"Yes."

"Well, I can take you, or you can borrow my car. Just as long as I'm on campus when I need to be, I don't mind if you take my car."

"Are you serious?" Benji asked.

"Of course," said Beca.

"Thanks," said Benji. "I think I might take you up on that."

The oven beeped, and Beca took the chicken pot pie out of the oven. Jesse helped dish it onto plates while Benji poured each of them drinks.

Once dinner was finished, Jesse walked over to a bag he'd left by the front door and pulled out a DVD.

"I brought this over 'cause I want to watch you watch the end of this movie. Then I can die a hero," said Jesse. "So, do you have a DVD player?"

"No," said Beca. "But my laptop will play it."

"Can you hook it up to the TV?"

"I think so," said Beca. She rummaged through a small box of cables she'd never gotten around to unpacking. "Got it." She hooked the laptop up to the TV.

"May I?" asked Jesse.

"Sure. Just be careful."

"Why does Jesse want to show you the ending of _The Breakfast Club_?" asked Benji.

"I don't like movies, and he's made it his mission to give me a - what did you call it, Jesse?" asked Beca.

"A moviecation," said Jesse. "Okay. _The Breakfast Club_. 1985. Greatest ending to any movie ever."

Beca heard the song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" playing.

"This song launched Simple Minds in the U.S. It could have been a Billy Idol song but he turned it down. Idiot. Perfectly sums up the movie - equally beautiful and sad," said Jesse.

"That is fascinating," said Beca.

"Right?"

"Tell me. What does Judd Nelson like to eat for breakfast?" asked Beca.

"Like all misunderstood rebels, he feeds on hypocrisy. And black coffee. Helps with his morning dumps," said Jesse.

"You're an idiot."

"It's true. I'm full of fun facts."

"You should let other people tell you they're fun," said Beca.

"I think it's fun," said Benji.

Beca and Jesse jumped, both having forgotten Benji was in the room.

Jesse put a finger to his lips. "Sssshhh! Both of you! You're missing the ending!"

Beca looked over at Jesse, noticing he was mouthing the words with the actors. He even joined Judd Nelson's character in raising his fist in the air. She couldn't help but snicker.

"That's good. I'm sure the beginning is great, too."

"One day, I'll get you to watch it," said Jesse.

"Whatever," said Beca, rolling her eyes.

"Jesse, don't you have a Trebles rehearsal tomorrow morning at 9?" asked Benji.

"Yeah, I think so," said Jesse. "How is it you know my rehearsal schedule better than I do?"

Benji shrugged.

"I guess we're out," said Jesse. "Always a pleasure."

"Bye, guys," said Beca. As she went to shut off her laptop, she noticed Jesse had left his DVD in her laptop. She took it out and carefully returned it to its case. She texted Jesse.

 _B: Hey nerd, you left your movie here  
_ _J: Keep it for now, maybe you'll watch it  
_ _B: If I have trouble sleeping, maybe_  
 _J: You wound me  
_ _B: You're dramatic_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Beca** _

The next morning, Beca was the one to start the shower duet.

 _Hey, hey, hey, hey  
_ _Won't you come see about me?  
_ _I'll be alone, dancing you know it baby_

She wasn't the least bit surprised when Chloe joined her, not missing a beat.

 _Tell me your troubles and doubts  
_ _Giving me everything inside and out and  
_ _Love's strange so real in the dark  
_ _Think of the tender things that we were working on_

 _Slow change may pull us apart  
_ _When the light gets into your heart, baby_

 _Don't you, forget about me  
_ _Don't, don't, don't, don't  
_ _Don't you, forget about me_

They went through the whole song. "See you outside in fifteen minutes!" called Beca. She walked out into her kitchen and started to heat water in her tea kettle for Chloe. She was dressed just as the tea kettle began to whistle. She poured the hot water into a travel mug (she'd bought a 3-pack of reusable ones that resembled to-go cups from Starbucks), dropped in a teabag, and finished getting ready while it seeped.

She stepped outside her door, tea in hand, as Chloe stepped out, empty travel mug in hand. Beca slipped back into her apartment, put the mug in the cabinet, and headed out for Bellas' practice.

Beca was spending another afternoon at the radio station, stacking CDs and vinyl records. Jesse was up to his usual antics of making silly faces to match the expressions on the covers. Sometimes Beca laughed, while other times she simply rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Jesse!" called Luke. "I'm starving, so could you-"

"You want me to get you lunch?" asked Jesse. "You should lay off the burgers though. You won't be twenty-two forever."

Luke lifted his shirt, revealing a set of "six-pack" abs. "I think I'm good."

"He's good," said Beca. She turned to Luke. "You're good."

He handed Jesse some cash.

"Beca?" Jesse asked quietly as he headed toward the door.

"What?" she asked, matching his low tone.

"I thought you were gay."

"I'm gay, Jesse, not blind. I know a good set of abs when I see them," she said.

Jesse reluctantly left. Beca pulled a flash drive out of her pocket and handed it to Luke.

"Here. This is my latest mix. Maybe you'll play this one?"

"Yeah, okay, thanks. I'll put it with the others," he said. She'd been giving him a new mix every few weeks, but he hadn't played one yet. Beca tried not to be too disappointed.

* * *

_**Chloe** _

It had become a habit now. Every morning that Chloe sang with Beca, the girl would give her a big mug of hot tea with honey. Chloe would return the old one, and she'd sip it on the way to Barden. It really had helped soothe her throat.

After a good hour of rehearsal, though, Chloe's throat was starting to hurt again. She'd tried to signal to Aubrey that she needed a break, but the captain wasn't having it.

They went into "Turn the Beat Around" and Chloe could not hit the high note on the solo. Chloe glanced back to see everyone had hit the pose in the right spot on the final note.

Fat Amy was panting. "I should have taken that cardio tip more seriously."

"How much have you done?" asked Aubrey.

"You just saw it," said Amy.

"Ladies, that was better but we have a long way to go before Regionals. Chloe, you have to be able to hit that last note."

"I can't. It's impossible," Chloe said. "Because of…"

"My nodes," she added, as the others joined her by saying, "Your nodes."

"Well if you can't, then someone else needs to step up and solo," said Aubrey.

"I think Beca should take my solo," said Chloe.

"Yeah, Beca would be excellent," said Fat Amy. "But also, someone else might be equally as excellent. And they might be shy and not want to come forward and say they wanted a solo."

Chloe smiled to herself as she saw Beca smirk. Nobody thought Amy had a shy bone in her body, but Chloe supposed everyone had their moments.

"Well, Beca doesn't want a solo, so-"

"I would be happy to do it if I got to pick a new song and do an arrangement."

"That's not how we do things here," said Aubrey.

"Aubrey, maybe Beca has a point. Maybe we should try something new," said Chloe.

"Aca-scuse me?" replied Aubrey.

"You can sing 'Turn the Beat Around' and that's the last I want to hear of this."

"That song's tired. We're not going to win with it. If we pulled samples from different genres and layer them together, we could make -"

"Let me explain this to you because you still don't seem to get it. Our goal is to get back to the finals, and these songs will get us there. So excuse me if I don't take advice from some alt-girl with her Mad Lib beats when she's never even been in a competition. Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal. I won't solo."

"Fine," said Aubrey. "Fat Amy?"

"Yes, sir?"

"You'll solo."

Fat Amy pumped her fist in the air. While Chloe would have rather had Beca take the solo, she knew Fat Amy would keep it interesting for sure.

The rest of the practice was entertaining. Fat Amy kept breaking routine, despite repeatedly getting scolded by Aubrey. Chloe couldn't help but laugh to herself. She kind of liked Amy's version of the routine, but she knew the girl was driving Aubrey crazy.

When Aubrey called the end of practice, Chloe invited her to lunch. They'd both been very busy that week with schoolwork, so they'd hardly had a chance to talk. She was glad when Aubrey readily accepted.

* * *

Aubrey and Chloe sat at the cafe on campus, eating their usual favorites.

"So, what's up?" asked Aubrey.

"I miss talking to you. We've both been so busy this week."

"Yeah, and next week will be worse. I'm really worried about Regionals."

"I think we're going to rock it," said Chloe.

"I don't know," said Aubrey. "Amy keeps breaking off and doing her own thing. I don't know what's going to happen next week."

"I think she's entertaining," said Chloe.

"Well, I don't!"

"Shouldn't I get a say in this, as the co-captain?"

"We still have Beca in the group, don't we?"

"So, I get a say in one thing, and that's it?" Chloe shook her head.

"What do you like about her so much?"

"Aside from the other stuff I've already told you? She takes care of me. She's always bringing me hot tea with honey to help my throat so my nodes don't get worse. You just complain that I can't hit the high notes."

"I should be more sensitive. I'm sorry."

"I just wish you'd listen to me."

"Because I disagreed with Beca?"

"You disagree with _everyone_ who doesn't share your opinion."

"That's because I'm the only one who knows how to get us to the finals."

"Aubrey, I've been to every a cappella competition you have."

"I don't see you taking charge."

"That's because you don't let me."

"I'll try to let you have a say. I promise."

Chloe reached across the table to squeeze Aubrey's hand. "I'm sure you will."

* * *

The next morning, Chloe stepped into her shower, and she knew exactly which song she wanted to sing. The minute she heard Beca's shower turn on, she started.

 _I, I got a new life, you would hardly recognize me, I'm so glad  
_ _How can a person like me care for you?  
_ _I, why do I bother, when you're not the one for me?  
_ _Oo-hoo-hoo-oo-oo  
_ _Is enough enough?_

"No!" she heard Beca yell.

"Come on, Beca. It's good practice."

"It's bad enough I have to sing it at rehearsals. And you need to rest your voice!"

Chloe ignored her protests and continued, singing her part as though the rest of the Bellas were with her. She did stop, though, after "The Sign." Her throat was already starting to bother her.

Once her shower was over, she saw a text from Beca.

 _B: Are you okay? You stopped singing  
_ _C: A little sore  
_ _B: Please rest your voice  
_ _B: I read about nodes  
_ _C: You did?  
_ _B: Yeah  
_ _B: I'll bring some more tea over  
_ _B: Can you help me with my hair?  
_ _C: Totes  
_ _C: Make sure you charge your phone  
_ _B: Why?  
_ _C: Competition is about a two-hour drive_

She gave Beca a time to come over that would keep Aubrey from having a fit at her. She was reasonably sure she could get Beca's hair up quickly, but she didn't want to risk it. She knew Aubrey would pin the blame on Beca if they were late to the competition.

* * *

_**Beca** _

Beca dressed in her Bella uniform, carefully removing her ear spike. She opened up her bag she'd packed for the trip and added her hairbrush, a few hair ties, and walked next door, trying not to mess with the scarf that was making her neck itch and felt tight on her throat.

Aubrey answered the door. "Hi, Beca," she said. Beca saw the girl looking her over. "Good job on the uniform. I see you have removed the ear monstrosity."

Beca suppressed an eye roll. "Yeah, and I'm here for some help with my hair."

"Right," said Aubrey. "Before you go to Chloe, I'd like to apologize."

"For…?"

"The riff-off. I think you did pretty well. Chloe and I talked, and we are pretty sure Justin was going to find a way to give the Trebles the win. I was mad that we'd lost, and I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted," said Beca.

Aubrey turned toward the bedrooms. "Chloe?" she called.

"Yeah?"

"Beca's here for hair assistance."

"Come to my room!" she called.

"First door on the right," said Aubrey.

"Thanks," said Beca. "Chloe, stop straining your voice!"

Beca walked into Chloe's bedroom. She had a double bed (or maybe it was a queen, Beca wasn't sure) with a pink quilt on it and clothes thrown on top. A laundry basket of neatly folded clothes sat in the corner. There was also a teddy bear with a tutu on it sitting on her nightstand. Chloe was sitting in front of her vanity, putting the last pin in her hair. She handed her a travel mug of tea.

"Hey, Beca! What do you want me to do with your hair?"

"I don't care. Whatever's easiest, I guess," said Beca. "I didn't have any pins."

"No worries. I have extra and I always bring extra with me in case of any hair mishaps on the bus."

Chloe motioned for Beca to walk over and stand in front of her. Beca tried not to focus on how good Chloe's hands felt on her hair. Within about five minutes, Chloe had Beca's hair done in a "Bella-approved" hairstyle. She'd managed to do so without pulling Beca's hair or digging into her scalp with hairpins.

"How did you do that?" asked Beca.

"Years of practice. I did ballet when I was younger," said Chloe.

"That explains the bear with the tutu," said Beca.

"My aunt got it for me when she took me to see _The Nutcracker_ when I was 5. Now, let's go into the bathroom. You can do me and I'll do you."

"What?" asked Beca. Was Chloe seriously propositioning her?

Chloe held up a can of hairspray.

"Right," said Beca, both relieved and disappointed at the same time.

After they'd sprayed each other's hair into place, Beca and Chloe came out to the living room where Aubrey was waiting, dressed and ready.

"How did I do?" asked Chloe, gesturing to Beca.

"Nice job," said Aubrey. "Okay, you two. Let's go. I'll drive."

Beca had planned to take her own car, but she realized it made a lot more sense to ride with Chloe and Aubrey.

They pulled up to one of the parking areas at Barden, and Aubrey and Chloe directed them to a small bus.

"Is everyone here?" asked Aubrey. She did a roll call and found out they were only missing Fat Amy.

If Aubrey had been a cartoon character, Beca imagined she'd have a bright red face with smoke coming out of her ears. Luckily for everyone involved, Fat Amy showed up just as Aubrey was saying the girl had thirty seconds to arrive or they were leaving without her.

"Amy, what took you so long?" asked Aubrey.

"I was rehearsing my solo!" exclaimed Fat Amy, giving her a cheesy grin.

Beca didn't buy that story for a minute, and Aubrey didn't look like she had either. She saw her check her watch before saying, "Fine, but don't be late for the next competition. Get on the bus."

Fat Amy insisted on sitting with Beca, and Beca found herself disappointed that Chloe hadn't asked Beca to sit with her.

Beca spent most of the ride with her headphones on, looking out the window. They sat in traffic for a good bit of time, and she saw Chloe talking to Aubrey. She imagined the traffic was probably putting Aubrey under a lot of stress, and Chloe was likely trying to calm her down. Beca hoped whatever this was wouldn't result in another vomiting incident.

Once they finally arrived at the Carolina Performing Arts Center, Aubrey quickly hustled them out of the bus. "Everyone, we are just barely going to make the check-in time, go, go, go!" She smacked each of them on the ass as she'd done during cardio laps at rehearsals.

Aubrey checked them in while Chloe walked around and helped with hair and uniform touch-ups. They all walked into the back of the auditorium to see a group of singers performing a cappella with sock puppets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song used: "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds


	11. Chapter 11

_**Aubrey** _

The group rushed in, and Aubrey saw from the program that they'd barely managed to get into the auditorium one number ahead of time.

The group on stage was using sock puppets, and Aubrey was more than a little annoyed that the new Bellas seemed to find it entertaining.

"A cappella out of sock puppets? Genius," said Fat Amy.

"Yeah, look at the black one with the white sock," said Stacie.

"It's making a statement," said Cynthia Rose.

Aubrey had to put a stop to this. "There's no craft there. Watching them will make you worse," she said.

"At least they're different," said Beca, causing Aubrey to roll her eyes.

Aubrey couldn't believe their song had been permitted. While they didn't say the word, it was pretty clear what the "F" stood for in their song. She filed it in the back of their mind to complain to the ICCA officials if they beat them.

Aubrey called an aca-huddle. "Hands in," she said. The group turned and put their hands in. "Remember, 'ahh' on three."

"One, two," she said. A few of the girls did it correctly while a few others went after three.

"I'm sorry," said Stacie.

Chloe grabbed Aubrey's attention. "It's okay. It's okay. It's going to be okay."

Chloe turned to the rest of the group. "Okay."

The announcer called the group and they headed to the stage.

They took their places on stage. Aubrey blew the pitch pipe, counted them in, and they began their routine.

Chloe nailed her solo to "The Sign" and she handed the mic to Aubrey with a smile. Aubrey managed to get through her solo without vomiting. Her stomach was a little uneasy, but she kept everything down. She relaxed a little as they began "Eternal Flame." Chloe sounded good, and the group did the choreography pretty well.

"Turn the Beat Around" didn't go so well, in Aubrey's opinion. Fat Amy started okay, but she started doing everything her way, not as rehearsed. She tried shooting the girl a few warning looks, but she either didn't notice or didn't care. She was horrified when the routine ended with Amy taking off her blazer, throwing it across the stage, and then ripping her blouse open, sending a button flying. She was even more annoyed when she noticed it was the blouse she'd sewn for her!

The audience seemed to enjoy it, but she wasn't sure how the judges would score it.

She saw Jesse making fun of the group for the "heart hand" gesture and shot him a look. Those Trebles made her so mad!

The Treblemakers were next. They sang well and were entertaining, but they weren't as polished as the Bellas, in Aubrey's opinion. They all wore the same jacket but different pants and shirts. They didn't have nice uniforms like the Bellas. Their choreography was basically the group bouncing around. She suspected they didn't even do cardio on a regular basis.

Aubrey was nervous as they read off the top three finishers. The Sockapellas (the sock puppet group) placed third. She was thrilled when the Bellas received second place, earning them a spot in the semi-finals! She was a bit less thrilled when the Trebles got first place, but, at least, the Bellas would move on.

When they headed out to the lobby, they saw that the Treblemakers had started a fight with the Tonehangers, a group of four older guys who were performing and trying to sell CDs.

Aubrey had hoped that her group would have the sense to stand back and watch the guys battle it out, but, the next thing she knew, Fat Amy and Beca ran in and joined them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Aubrey called, but neither girl listened. She hoped Chloe would help, but she simply turned away, pretending she didn't see them.

Beca punched the guy who had been agitating Jesse square in the nose. The guy had seemed to enjoy it, and Beca had apparently hurt her hand in the process.

Fat Amy ran over and grabbed the trophy from Jesse. Beca was trying to stop her, but Fat Amy didn't listen. She kicked the guy in the groin (in her defense, he had asked her to do so).

Beca tried to grab the trophy from Amy before she attacked the guy with it, resulting in the trophy coming apart and flying through the window.

As luck would have it, there was a police officer writing a parking ticket right outside the building. The next thing they knew, Amy had run from the room and Beca was in handcuffs.

_**Beca** _

Beca was in her jail cell, furious that she'd been arrested. She understood that she'd been the one caught with the broken trophy in her hand, but she wished the police officer had listened to her. She took her hair out of that annoying updo and then paced back and forth until an officer called her name. "Rebecca Mitchell?"

"That's me."

"Someone posted bail for you. Come with me."

She followed the officer to the front of the station. He handed her the backpack she'd brought with her and directed her toward the exit.

She was relieved to see Jesse waiting for her outside.

"Hey Hilary Swank from Million Dollar Baby," he said.

"Hey. You know you just have to say 'Hey, Million Dollar Baby.' You don't have to reference the specific actress."

"I wanted to make sure you got it. Damn. Prison changed you."

"How did you get here?" asked Beca.

"I got Donald to drop me here in the Trebles bus."

Beca said, "Thanks for bailing me out."

"Well, I didn't."

Beca saw her dad getting out of his car. He looked furious.

"You called my dad?! Why?!"

Jesse replied. "They put you in handcuffs, Bec. It looked pretty serious -"

"That doesn't mean you call my dad!"

"Who else was I going to call? Okay, why are you yelling at me? I'm the only one here."

"I didn't ask you to be," said Beca.

"I was trying to help," said Jesse.

"I don't want your help."

"Well, excuse me," said Jesse.

"Dad, it's not a big deal -"

"Yeah, it is a big deal. I got a call in the middle of the night telling me my only daughter got arrested for destruction of property!"

"It was a misunderstanding. I was protecting my friends! Putting myself out there! 'Making memories'!"

"Rebecca Joan Mitchell, do you think I'm paying for you to live in LA after you pull a stunt like this? Well, I'm not. Get in the car."

Beca bristled at her full name. She hadn't heard that admonishment from him in more than ten years. "Wait, don't you want to listen to what I have to say?"

"Not tonight I don't," said Beca's dad. He turned to Jesse. "Do you need a ride?"

"I think you two should talk. I'll just take an Uber," said Jesse.

"That's going to be expensive," Beca said as she looked pleadingly at Jesse, but he pulled out his phone and turned away.

Beca and her dad stayed for a few minutes to make sure Jesse's Uber arrived. Once he'd waved to them that he was fine, they left. Beca sat with her arms folded.

Dr. Mitchell was quiet for the first several minutes of the ride. Beca knew he had to be pretty mad if he wasn't talking.

After about ten minutes, he finally spoke up.

"Okay, so what happened?" he asked.

"I thought you didn't want to hear what I had to say tonight," said Beca.

"It's going to be a long two hours, so we might as well talk this out," he said. "Was it really a misunderstanding?"

"Yes," said Beca. She explained what happened. "I know I shouldn't have punched that guy, and, believe me, I'm not going to do that again. My hand really hurt!"

"I'll see what I can do. I have a few lawyer friends from college who might be able to help."

"Thanks."

"Are you okay, Beca?" he asked.

"My hand-"

"That's not what I mean," he said. "I just feel like something's bothering you. You've hardly spoken to me in weeks."

"I…" Beca wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't sure she wanted to be stuck in the car with him if he reacted badly. She fished through her bag to make sure she had her cell phone and had reception before continuing. She took a deep breath and decided to just say it. "I'm gay, Dad."

"You are? But, didn't you have a boyfriend named Alex recently?"

"Alex was my _girl_ friend, Dad. I just never corrected you when you assumed Alex was a guy."

"Why not?"

"I wasn't ready to come out, and I guess I didn't want to tell you from three-thousand miles away," said Beca. "I've only told a few people. Mom knows, a couple of people from high school know, and Jesse knows. I ended up telling the Bellas at the first practice."

"Why did you tell all of those people before you told me?" he asked.

"I told Mom first," she said.

"Well, I'd have expected that. But - Jesse? The Bellas?"

Beca sighed. "Well, Jesse hit on me on our first day at the radio station, so I explained to him why that was never going to happen. It slipped out at Bellas' practice the first day. Aubrey's kind of a pain in the ass. She has this rule against hooking up with Treblemakers, and she thought Jesse and I were sleeping together. She wouldn't let up when I told her I hadn't slept with him and I finally blurted it out!"

"I'm sorry, Bec. Tell me more about Alex."

"We both worked at the music shop. We were cleaning up the store one night when we were closing and somehow we ended up kissing. We dated for six months after that. We weren't all that affectionate in public, and people didn't really notice. We broke up at the end of the summer because we were going to college in different parts of the country, so we figured it was best we part ways. She's at the University of Michigan. They gave her a full scholarship. We still text sometimes. She's doing well and has a new girlfriend."

"So, you're gay," he said.

"Yes," said Beca. "And it's not a phase. It's not because you and Mom split up, and I wasn't rejected by guys."

"Right. Sheila's words. Is that why you practically ran out the door the last time you came over?" her dad asked.

"Yes," said Beca, quietly. She swallowed hard before saying, "I just couldn't listen to those words anymore, Dad. As I said, nothing happened to me. I was just born liking girls and not guys. Do you-"

"No, Beca, I don't agree with Sheila."

"Then, why didn't you stop her?"

"I had no idea she was hurting you so badly with her words. I shouldn't have been quiet when she said that either way. I'll talk to her."

"Please don't out me to her, Dad."

"I won't. But I will ask her to stop. Maybe we should find a different church. Maybe I'll google it."

"Thanks," said Beca, chuckling at her dad saying he'd "google it."

"Anything else you'd like to get off of your chest?" asked her dad.

"Why did you stop paying child support last fall?" she asked.

"You were eighteen."

"But, I was still in high school. Mom still had to support me."

"I know," he said. "I asked her if she'd like me to continue sending checks, and she said no."

"I didn't know that," said Beca.

"I didn't know your mom was struggling. I guess you know where you got your fierce independence."

"Yeah," said Beca, smiling.

"Oh, am I taking you to Barden or your apartment?" he asked. They were close to the area now.

"My apartment. I rode with Chloe and Aubrey. They live next door."

"Oh, they do?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Beca.

"Do you need money, Beca?" he asked. "I feel bad about the child support."

"No, Dad, I'm fine," she said.

"Please don't be afraid to ask if you do," he said.

They chatted a little more before he pulled up to the apartment complex. Beca was a little surprised to see the Bella bus in the parking lot, but she figured Aubrey must have brought it back so that she could return it the next day.

* * *

Beca walked into her apartment and was surprised to find the Bellas all sitting in her living room. They all greeted her excitedly.

"What up, Shawshank?" asked Fat Amy.

"Did you get yourself a bitch?" asked Cynthia Rose.

"Did they spray you with a hose?" asked Fat Amy.

Lilly mumbled something. Beca thought she'd heard her say she'd done a turn at County. She thought it best she did not ask for details.

"You guys waited up for me?" Beca asked. She was touched.

"Of course we waited up for you," said Chloe.

Beca's brain caught up with her. "Wait a minute. How did you guys get in here? Did I forget to lock the door?"

"No. Al let me in."

"Who's Al?"

"The building's super, silly," said Chloe.

"But…"

"Chloe did some of her classic eyelash batting and talked him into letting us in," said Aubrey.

Beca wasn't surprised when she thought about it. Chloe was adorable, and she was sure it had been easy to turn on the charms.

"It helps if you promise to bake him cookies," said Chloe.

"Maybe if I knew how to bake, it would," said Beca.

Aubrey blew the pitch pipe. Everyone snapped to attention.

"I'm calling an emergency Bella meeting," said Aubrey. Several of the Bellas groaned. Amy turned hers into a half-hearted "yay." "First up? Our score sheet revealed that The Sockapellas almost beat us. We need to bust our asses if we're going to make it to the Finals. And, Fat Amy, you need to do it _exactly_ how we rehearsed it. Okay? No surprises."

"Or try a new approach…" said Beca.

"Enough with that, Beca."

"Wait, listen, the reason why we almost lost to sock puppets is that they took a risk. Being good isn't enough to win. We need to put ourselves out there, be different."

"Beca's right. The Trebles never sing the same song twice," said Cynthia Rose.

"The audience loved the Trebles. They tolerated us. Aubrey, we could change the face of a cappella if -" Beca gasped, hearing herself. "Oh my god, that sounded so queerballs. What's happening to me?" Beca walked over to her computer. "Let me show you this arrangement I've been working on," she said. "I don't have speakers, but you could all take turns with the headphones."

Aubrey snapped Beca's laptop shut and it took everything in Beca not to scream at her for touching the music equipment. "You've caused enough distractions for one night. I have the pitch pipe, and I say we focus on the setlist as planned." She turned to the group. "From now on, there will be no more wasting our time with work, school, boyfriends, or girlfriends."

"But, Aubrey, this stuff is pretty cool," said Chloe.

Aubrey talked over Chloe. "Okay. Rehearsal tomorrow. 8 am sharp."

"Hey, Beca, do you mind if I hang for a few minutes? I'd really like you to show me your music."

"Sure, Chloe."

"Aubrey, can you make sure everyone gets back to campus?" asked Chloe.

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "Of course."

"Don't worry," said Fat Amy. "I'll get these flat butts back to Barden."

"Are you sure?" asked Aubrey.

"Yeah. I'm finally used to driving on the right side of the road." Several of the Bellas exchanged nervous glances. "Relax, I'm kidding. I'm a good driver. Come on, let's head back to the dorms. I've got a boyfriend waiting for me."

There were a few more glances exchanged before the rest of the Bellas followed Amy to the bus.

"I expect texts from everyone to confirm you got back to campus safely!" called Aubrey.

* * *

Beca had Chloe sit in her desk chair and put headphones on while she talked her through the basics of making a track, just as she'd done with Jesse and Benji when they'd asked.

"You have some real talent, Beca," said Chloe. "How do you know which tracks mash up together?"

"I don't know," said Beca. "I just do."

"I just realized I haven't talked to Luke. I'll text him tomorrow."

"You don't have to," said Beca.

"I want to. You're really hot when you're mixing music, did you know that?" asked Chloe.

Beca assumed she was hallucinating or having a very elaborate dream. There was no way she'd heard Chloe correctly.

Beca cleared her throat. "What?"

Chloe stood up and tucked a lock of Beca's hair behind her ear, sending a shiver through Beca. "I said you're hot. Not just when you're mixing music, though." Chloe had her face right up to Beca's, much like she'd done on Hood Night. This time, however, she didn't kiss her cheek. She gently cupped her chin and went straight for her lips. Beca was so surprised, she didn't even respond.

When Chloe pulled away, Beca stood still, blinking.

"I'm sorry, was that not okay?" asked Chloe.

"It was more than okay," said Beca. "You just took me by surprise. I thought you were straight and had a boyfriend. I mean, I've only seen you with the guy at Hood Night, and there was definitely a guy with you that time I sang 'Titanium.'"

Chloe laughed. "I'm bi, and Tom is a friend with benefits. We only hook up every once in a while when we're both single and need some stress relief."

"Oh."

" _You're_ the one I like, Beca."

"Yeah?"

Chloe took Beca's face in her hands and gave her another kiss, this one much deeper than the chaste one she'd just given her. This time, Beca kissed back.

"Does that help?"

"Yeah," said Beca. "Can we do that again?"

"Mind if we take this to your couch?" asked Chloe.

"Not at all."

They sat on the couch, locking lips again. The next thing Beca knew, Chloe had turned and straddled her lap, somehow managing not to break the kiss. She gently stroked Beca's hair with one of her hands. Beca felt like her insides were melting. Kissing Chloe was even better than she'd imagined. She reached her arms around Chloe's back and pulled her close.

They finally broke apart, gasping for breath. Beca stopped Chloe from going in for another one when she heard something next door.

"Is that…?" Beca held up a finger. They listened for a few more seconds.

"Yup," said Chloe. "And that's not Aubrey moaning."

"What?" asked Beca.

"That's probably Stacie," said Chloe.

Beca snickered. "Way to go, Posen. I _thought_ she looked jealous at the riff-off whenever Stacie so much as breathed near someone else."

"I'm going to have to drag the details out of Aubrey later."

"Maybe now that she's gotten laid, she'll relax a little."

"It could happen."

"So, about us?" Beca asked.

"Us?"

"This…" Beca gestured between the two of them.

"I told you. I like you, Beca," said Chloe. "And, unless I'm mistaken, I think you like me too."

"I don't kiss just anybody like that."

"That's a good thing," said Chloe. "To be perfectly clear, I'd like to take you on a date."

"I'd love to go on a date with you."

Loud moaning from next door distracted them from their conversation. "That was _definitely_ Aubrey," said Chloe.

"Damn, they're loud," said Beca.

"Yeah," said Chloe. "I'm going to need earplugs tonight."

"Look, if you want, you can stay here," said Beca. She quickly added, "To sleep, I mean. I'm not quite ready to-"

"Sleeping sounds great," said Chloe.

"The bedroom is this way," said Beca. She grabbed some pajamas out of her dresser. "Here, you can borrow these. I'll go change in the bathroom. I'll knock before I come back into the bedroom."

Beca changed into pajamas and brushed her teeth and got ready for bed. She knocked softly on the door to her bedroom. "Come in," said Chloe.

Beca walked in and thought it nearly unfair just how adorable Chloe was in her pajamas. "Bathroom's yours if you need it," said Beca.

"Let me just get my toothbrush," said Chloe.

"You're going back to your place for it?"

"No, I carry one in my purse."

"Why?"

"I guess living with Aubrey for three years has rubbed off on me. I hooked up with Tom a _lot_ last year. She convinced me to carry a spare toothbrush in my purse. And, before you ask, no, I haven't hooked up with him since the one time you heard us."

"It's not really my business," said Beca.

"I know that, but I wanted you to know you don't have anything to worry about."

"Are we girlfriends?"

"That's up to you."

"I'd like to be your girlfriend."

"I'd love that," said Chloe. "I'm going to go use the bathroom and finish getting ready. I'll be in here in a few minutes. And I'll warn you ahead of time, I'm a cuddler."

"Of course you are," said Beca, rolling her eyes. She set her alarm on her phone and hooked it up to the charger.

As she lay in bed, she was glad her mother had gotten her a bigger bed. She'd originally planned to get a twin bed, but her mother insisted on buying her a queen. The price difference at Ikea had been negligible, and her mother had made some comments about Beca potentially having an overnight guest. Beca had turned several shades of red and had told her mother to stop it. She'd insisted, though, and Beca was grateful now.

Chloe came back to the room and climbed into bed next to Beca. She motioned for Beca to roll onto her side, and Chloe immediately snuggled up to her as the big spoon. Ordinarily, Beca would have been unable to sleep like this, but she'd found Chloe's embrace to be just the calming force she'd needed to settle herself from the excitement of the night and get some sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

####  **_Chloe_ **

Chloe woke up to an unfamiliar alarm. She wasn’t in her bed, either. She saw an arm draped over her waist. She smiled as she remembered finally kissing Beca the night before, followed by the two of them deciding to be girlfriends. She felt Beca sit up just long enough to tap something on her phone to shut off or snooze the alarm. As she felt Beca lay back down and roll to her side, she scooted just a little closer so her body was flush with Beca’s back. She gently moved Beca’s hair to the side and pressed a gentle kiss to her neck.

“Good morning,” she said quietly.

“Hey,” said Beca. “Sleep okay?”

“The best,” said Chloe. “You?”

“Same.”

“What time is it?”

“A little after 7.”

“As much as I’m loving this, I really need to shower before practice,” said Chloe. “I’m going to head back to my place since I don’t have anything to wear besides what I wore last night.”

“Okay, do you want to ride together? I’m not working at the radio station today.”

“That would be great,” said Chloe. She planted a quick peck on Beca’s lips. “Text me when you’re ready.”

“Okay,” said Beca, a big smile on her face.

Chloe gathered her things and walked back over to her apartment. She heard Stacie and Aubrey going at it in the shower before she even noticed Aubrey had tied her Bella scarf onto the doorknob. She quickly grabbed some clothes for the next morning’s practice from her bedroom and headed back to Beca’s, glad she’d mistakenly left the door unlocked.

“Beca?” she called as she went inside. She heard the shower running, and she got a bright idea. She stripped off her clothes, grabbed a towel and washcloth from the laundry basket in Beca’s bedroom, and walked into the bathroom.

She pulled the curtain aside and walked into the shower while Beca was turned away from her. She saw that Beca had tattoos of equalizer bars on the middle of her back. “Nice bars,” she said.

“Dude!” Beca screamed, trying to cover her bits with her hands.

“Relax, Beca, it’s just me.”

“Have you not heard of knocking? I thought you were showering at your place.”

“Sorry, I should have knocked. I was going to shower at my place, but I think you can hear why that’s not an option.” They could hear a lot of heavy breathing and moaning coming from the shower next door. “I just…” Chloe kicked herself for assuming Beca wouldn’t mind. She’d learned when she’d moved to college that not everyone was as comfortable being naked in front of others as she was.

“Right, but that doesn’t mean...we’ve only kissed, and--”

“I’m sorry, I’ll get out,” she said, her face falling as she turned to exit the shower.

“Oh, whatever,” she said. “You can stay.”

“Thank you!” exclaimed Chloe. She walked up and hugged her. She gave her a quick kiss before stepping back and singing.

_ I'll tell you a story before it tells itself  
_ _ I'll lay out all my reasons, you'll say that I need help  
_ _ We all got expectations, and sometimes they go wrong  
_ _ But no one listens to me, so I put it in this song _

“Chloe, rest your voice,” said Beca.

Chloe shook her head and continued.

_ They tell me think with my head, not that thing in my chest  
_ _ They got their hands at my neck this time  
_ _ But you're the one that I want, if that's really so wrong  
_ _ Then they don't know what this feeling is like _

Beca joined her, as she always did.

_ And I say yeah-eah  
_ _ Yeah-eah-eah-eah  
_ _ Yeah-eah  
_ _ Yeah-eah-eah-eah  
_ _ And I say yeah-eah  
_ _ Yeah-eah-eah-eah  
_ _ Yeah-eah  
_ _ Yeah-eah-eah-eah _

Beca took the next verse.

_ I'll tell them a story, they'll sit and nod their heads  
_ _ I tell you all my secrets, and you tell all your friends  
_ _ Hold on to your opinions, and stand by what you said  
_ _ In the end, it's my decision, so it's my fault when it ends _

Their voices when singing in the same shower sounded even better than Chloe had imagined. They continued to sing.

When they were done, Chloe noticed Beca looking her over before averting her eyes and blushing.

“Feel free to look. I’m pretty confident about...all this.” Chloe gestured up and down her body.

“You should be.”

“And, so should you.”

Beca crashed her lips into Chloe’s, and she returned the kiss with fervor. The woman made her insides feel like jelly. She broke the kiss a little earlier than she would have liked.

Beca must have noticed the questioning look on her face because she said, “The moaning stopped, so I figured we should probably finish up and get ready. I’m hoping Aubrey is a little easier on me after getting laid, but I’m not going to count on that.”

“Okay,” said Chloe. “Then, let’s finish up.”

“I’m already clean, so, if you don’t mind, I’ll step out and let you finish up. I’ll make you some tea to bring to rehearsal.”

“Thanks, Beca. You’re the best,” said Chloe.

* * *

####  **_Beca_ **

Beca dried off and put her hair in a towel before walking across the hall to her bedroom, ignoring the rush she’d felt when Chloe had invaded her shower. She threw on her practice clothes and started some water in the tea kettle. It had gotten so much use since Chloe had told everyone she had nodes.

She heard the shower turn off just as the tea kettle began to squeal. She grabbed her latest box of teabags and walked into the bathroom as Chloe was drying off. “Which one do you want, Chloe?”

“You bought all of that for me?” she asked.

“Yeah,” said Beca. “What kind do you want?”

“Raspberry,” said Chloe.

“It will be ready by the time we leave.”

“Awww, Beca…” Chloe looked like she was going to cry.

“I’m doing what I can to help you,” she said. “We have to be out of here in ten minutes, so please get dressed.”

“Thank you!” she exclaimed. She gave Beca a quick smooch before heading to the bedroom to get dressed.

She let her eyes linger for just a moment while she watched her girlfriend get dressed (Chloe really did have a nice body, and Beca still couldn’t believe they were together) before deciding to head to the kitchen to make the travel mug of tea for her. She got that brewing and then headed to the bathroom to run a blow dryer over her hair and get it out of her face. As she did that, she thought some more. She really hadn’t intended to date anyone at Barden. She’d only joined the Bellas to get her dad to help her move to LA. She tried to decide if/when to tell Chloe. She then remembered that Chloe was a senior and would be graduating in the spring. They could decide what they were doing after that. Maybe they could move to LA together. Beca froze for a second. What was she thinking? They’d been girlfriends for less than twelve hours, and she was already thinking ahead. She’d never had those thoughts about Alex.

“You okay?” she heard Chloe ask.

Beca turned around to see Chloe dressed in a tee and leggings, hair up in a messy bun. “Yeah, fine. Why?”

“I saw you standing there, frozen in place. I called your name, but you didn’t move.”

“I’m fine, Chloe. I was just thinking.”

“If you’re having second thoughts about us, it’s okay.”

“I’m not. I promise. Let’s grab your tea on our way out.”

“Thanks,” she said. “My car or yours?”

“Yours, if you don’t mind. I need to get gas for mine. I’m running on fumes.”

“Okay, let’s go,” said Chloe, grabbing her keys. “What about breakfast?”

“I have some pop tarts,” she said.

“That works. Do you mind grabbing an extra pack for me?”

“No problem. Strawberry okay?”

“Sure.”

As they rode in the car, Chloe asked, “What would you like to do on our date? Dinner and a movie okay?”

“Yes, to dinner. No, to a movie.”

“Okay,” said Chloe. “Why not a movie?”

“You’re going to think I’m weird.”

“I doubt it.”

“I just don’t like movies. I get bored and I never make it to the end.”

“Okay, then, no movies. They’re not a great first date activity anyway. What else could we do?”

“You pick,” said Beca. “I don’t know a lot about what there is to do around here.”

“What about Dave and Buster’s? We can eat and then play some games. As long as you don’t mind getting your ass whipped at air hockey.”

“That’s what you think!”

“You talk a good game, Mitchell.”

“It’s on,” said Beca.

“Tonight, then?”

“Tonight is great.”

* * *

####  **_Chloe_ **

Chloe and Beca got to Bellas’ practice and walked in together, hand in hand.

“Finally!” exclaimed Fat Amy.

“What?” Beca and Chloe answered in unison.

“I knew Beca wasn’t just ‘showing you her music’,” said Amy, doing air quotes.

“Amy, what? Oh my god,” said Beca, blushing a deep red.

“We didn’t sleep together,” said Chloe. “Well, technically, we did, but--”

“Chloe!” exclaimed Beca.

“Get it, you two!” exclaimed Fat Amy.

Beca rolled her eyes. “Fine, seriously. Since I know you’re all dying to know, Chloe asked me out and I said yes. She stayed overnight, but that was because--.”

Aubrey cut Beca off. “Bellas! It’s 8 am! Get in your places for ‘The Sign.’”

Chloe couldn’t help but smile to herself. Aubrey must have figured out that she and Beca had heard her and Stacie.

After the first run-through, which Chloe actually thought went fairly well, Beca started on Aubrey again.

“You know, Aubrey, if we just layered another song with--”

“Beca, no!” exclaimed Aubrey. She opened her mouth to say something else but shut it instead. Chloe was surprised. Aubrey was never one not to speak her mind.

“Aubrey, could we try and see what Beca has in mind? I heard her music last night, and she’s really got a good ear for--”

Aubrey clapped her hands twice. “Ladies, from the top!”

_ So much for trying to let me have a say,  _ thought Chloe.

They ran through the routine a few times. Amy kept improvising her solo. Aubrey would begin to correct her, but she’d soften almost immediately. She finally noticed Aubrey cutting her eyes to Stacie when she’d start to say something, only for Stacie to give her a subtle look. This wasn’t quite how Chloe had predicted “Aubrey getting laid” would work for them, but she was relieved that Stacie seemed to have the power to keep Aubrey from being completely insufferable.

“Aubrey, I need a break,” said Chloe, rubbing her throat. “My nodes are really bothering me.” She took a huge swig of water.

“Chloe,” Aubrey began. She hesitated for a moment. “Okay, everyone, take five.”

Chloe saw Beca smirking just the slightest bit out of the corner of her eye. Chloe wondered if she’d noticed Stacie’s power over Aubrey.

Beca sat down next to Chloe, the two of them drinking water. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah,” said Chloe. “I just need to pull back a little.”

“Please don’t overdo it,” said Beca.

“I’ll be careful,” said Chloe.

“So, did you see what I saw?” asked Beca, subtly nodding at Stacie and Aubrey, who were seated next to each other, drinking water and chatting quietly.

“Do you mean the googly eyes Stacie has been giving Aubrey?” asked Chloe in a low voice.

“Yeah,” said Beca, grinning. “Not quite what I expected would happen after she finally got some, but…”

“I’ll take it,” said Chloe. “I just wish she’d listen to me. She said she would, but she’s just talking over me or completely ignoring me.”

“I noticed that.”

They were interrupted when Aubrey clapped her hands. “Okay, ladies, break’s over. From the top!”

After a few more run-throughs, Chloe waved her hand at Aubrey. “I can’t sing anymore,” she said. “Can we cut it for today?”

Aubrey looked as though she was about to refuse, but she saw Stacie throw Aubrey a look. “Okay, ladies, that’s it for today. Please remember to practice, add some cardio, and we’ll see you tomorrow at 8 am sharp!”

Chloe saw Beca check her phone as they were leaving practice.

“Hey, Chloe, do you mind driving tonight?”

“Of course not. Why?”

“I offered to let Benji - Jesse’s roommate - borrow my car from time to time. He likes to do magic. He showed me a few of his tricks and I suggested he try and perform at children’s birthday parties. He doesn’t have a car, so I said he could borrow mine. This is the first time he’s taken me up on it.”

“That’s so sweet of you,” said Chloe.

“Thanks. So, what time tonight?”

“How about I walk over to your place at 6?”

“Sounds good,” said Beca.

She gave Beca a quick hug and a kiss before they went inside their respective apartments.

* * *

Chloe took extra time to trim her nails and shave her legs (just in case) and decide on hair, clothing, and makeup for the evening. She sent Luke a quick text asking him to please listen to Beca’s music. He replied that he’d try.

She walked over to Aubrey’s room where the girl was studying and knocked gently on the open door.

“What’s up?” asked Aubrey.

“What happened to you trying to let me have a say? You didn’t listen to me at all.”

“I’m sorry. I need to work on that,” she said. “Oh, how are your nodes?”

“Okay, now that I’m done singing,” said Chloe. “So, last night…?”

“You heard,” she said, cheeks reddening.

“You two were loud. It  _ was _ Stacie, right?”

“Yeah,” she said, not meeting Chloe’s eye.

“Hey, no complaints here,” said Chloe. “Are you two an item?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t?”

“There wasn’t a lot of conversation.”

“I suppose your mouths were otherwise engaged,” she said, with a wink, causing Aubrey’s face to redden even more. “So, what happened?”

“Chloe!”

“Not that. I heard enough to have an idea, and I don’t need specifics. How did Stacie end up here?”

“She caught up with me as I was about to go into our apartment. She whispered into my ear and...we barely got the door shut and locked before we were ripping each other’s clothes off.”

“Damn,” said Chloe. “So, do you like her?”

“Well, yeah.”

“I mean, beyond a hook-up.”

“Yes, I do, but I’m not sure how she feels about it,” said Aubrey. “Oh, and, speaking of Stacie, I invited her over tonight. Is that okay?”

“Totes,” said Chloe. “I have a date with Beca tonight, so I’ll probably crash at her place again if it’s okay with her.”

“Right, the girls were making fun of you guys about that.”

“You didn’t realize I never came back?”

“I was...preoccupied.”

“Yeah, I think the whole building knows about that,” said Chloe. “You really didn’t notice until we got to practice?”

“I’m sorry. I’m such a bad friend.”

“Relax, Aubrey. I can take care of myself. Anyway, Beca said I could stay with her, so I did. And, we shared a bed but we didn’t have sex.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah,” said Chloe. She glanced over at the clock on Aubrey’s desk. “I need to get ready. I’ll let you know if Beca doesn’t want me to stay over, but I’m pretty sure it’s fine. And, I’m pretty sure Stacie likes you beyond a hook-up. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be coming over.”

“I guess.”

“Come on, I saw her giving you the ‘googly eyes’ at practice.”

“Yeah,” said Aubrey. 

“You should ask her out for real tonight,” said Chloe. “That is, assuming you two spend any time actually talking.”

* * *

####  **_Beca_ **

Beca texted Benji that he could borrow the car. She dropped her things by the front door, grabbed a bottle of water, and headed out to fill the car up with gas. Benji had said he’d pay her back for gas, but she figured he wouldn’t be too happy if she loaned it to him without enough in the tank to get to the party.

She filled up the tank and figured she’d grab a few things at the store while she was out. She got a few frozen foods, a couple more easy microwave meals, another box of teabags, and some pasta and sauce. Maybe Jesse could teach her how to make it sometime. That was, assuming he wasn’t still mad at her for yelling at him. She made a mental note to try and talk to him soon.

She came home, put away the laundry that had been in the basket for way too long, changed her bedsheets, trimmed her nails, and shaved her legs before deciding what to wear.

She was dressed for her date - wearing her favorite purple and black flannel over a black tank and skinny jeans - and putting the finishing touches on her hair and makeup when Benji knocked on her door.

“Hey, Benji.”

“Hi, Beca. Thanks again for loaning me your car.”

“No problem. Why is the party in the evening?”

“It’s a wedding. The couple hired me to entertain the children so the parents can enjoy themselves.”

“That’s really cool,” said Beca. She handed him her keys.

“What are you up to tonight? Are you sure you don’t need it back any particular time?” he asked, noticing Beca’s clothes, hair, and makeup.

“I have a date, actually,” said Beca. “I probably won’t be home when you’re done, so I’ll just get the keys from you tomorrow.”

“Thanks again, Beca.”

“I’m happy to help,” she said. She saw Chloe walk out of her apartment as Benji headed down the hall. She was wearing a blue button-down top and skinny jeans. “Hey, Chloe.”

“Hi, Beca. Is that Jesse’s roommate?”

“Yeah.”

“I saw him at a cappella auditions. I guess he didn’t get invited to any groups. It’s a shame because he can really sing and he seems so sweet.”

“I haven’t heard him sing, but he really is very sweet. He even came to watch the riff-off.”

“Before we go, I need to ask you something,” said Chloe.

“What?”

She held up a duffel bag. “Stacie is coming over again, so...is it okay if I sleep over? I’m not trying to push you into anything. I just...”

“Yeah, sure,” said Beca. She was relieved she’d prepped her bedroom accordingly. She opened the door and let Chloe inside. “Just drop the bag on my bed, I guess.”

“Are you ready to go?” asked Chloe.

“Yes.”

They drove to Dave and Busters, listening to some of Beca’s mixes at Chloe’s insistence. Beca didn’t say much, and Chloe seemed to be focusing on what she was hearing.

“Your music is amazing, Beca. I just wish Bree would listen to your ideas.”

“She won’t even listen to  _ yours _ , and you’re the co-captain,” Beca replied.

“I know,” said Chloe in a small voice.

“I’m sorry,” said Beca. “I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

“It’s okay,” said Chloe. “I’m used to her control issues. Anyway, we’re here on a date, so we don’t need to talk about Bree. Do you want to eat first?”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind. I’m starving.”

They sat down and were able to order fairly quickly.

“So,” said Chloe. “Tell me more about yourself. Where are you from?”

“Seattle,” said Beca. “I live with my mom. Well, when I’m not at Barden, anyway.”

“That’s funny,” said Chloe. “I’m from Portland.”

“Hey, neighbor,” said Beca. She immediately felt silly, but she was relieved when Chloe chuckled at the comment.

“How did you end up at Barden?”

“I was dragged, kicking and screaming,” said Beca. When Chloe raised an eyebrow, she explained. “My dad teaches here, and he insisted.”

“Wait a minute,” said Chloe. “Mitchell...does your dad teach comparative literature?”

“That’s him.”

“I loved his class! I had him last semester. I can’t believe I never made the connection.”

“Well, I’m not much of a writer myself. I don’t read a whole lot either, actually.”

“So, I’m guessing your parents are divorced?”

“Yup,” said Beca. “For more than ten years now.”

“That sucks,” said Chloe. “Mine are too. Mine split when I started high school.”

“I don’t even remember mine being happy. Anyway, the short version is my dad cheated on my mom and then moved out here and married the slut.”

“Gee, Beca, I take it you don’t like her?”

“Nope,” said Beca. She gave her the short version of what had happened at her most recent dinner with her dad and stepmother. “I came out to my dad after he bailed me out last night. He took it pretty well, actually. I don’t know what he’s going to say to the stepmonster, though.”

“I’m sorry,” said Chloe. “I came out shortly after my parents split. My mom thought it was an act of rebellion until I started dating a girl in high school. My dad was always cool about it, though.”

“Who did you live with after they split?”

“It was a 50/50 split. I actually had three and a half days per week with each of them.”

“That’s unusual,” said Beca.

“It worked for all of us,” said Chloe.

“So, I’m here at Barden for at least this year. I’m hoping to move to LA and be a music producer after the school year is over.”

“You’re not going to finish college?”

“I’m only here now because I couldn’t afford to move to LA after high school,” said Beca. She explained the agreement she had with her father. She saw Chloe’s face fall.

“So, you’re a Barden Bella to appease your dad?”

“Well, initially, yes. That’s why I joined. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t end up caring about everyone. Especially you,” she said, reaching across the table and taking Chloe’s hand.

“What happens after this year?” Chloe asked.

“I-I don’t know,” said Beca. “I really was sure I wanted to move to LA as soon as possible, but I guess I am actually liking it here. What about you? What are you doing after graduation?”

“I don’t know yet, either,” said Chloe.

“Tell me more about your earlier years as a Bella,” Beca said.

“You’re not going to believe this, but our captain from back then - Alice - makes Aubrey look like a wimp.”

“Seriously?”

“Her idea of a pep talk was to tell Aubrey not to fuck up her solo.”

“Wow,” said Beca.

“And the original Bella oath involved not having sexual relations with any members of other a cappella groups or may our vocal cords be ripped out by wolves while we are strung up by our entrails.”

“Jesus Christ!”

“Yeah, so she’s better by comparison.”

“Sounds like it,” said Beca.

“We’ve been doing the same setlist for years. I wanted to do something new, but we got all the way to finals last year. Aubrey’s convinced that this is the only way.”

“I wish she’d listen to others.”

“She said she’d try, but…”

“Right,” said Beca. “So, how did you end up at Barden?”

“They sent me information when I was in high school. I was looking at Georgia Tech, Emory, and Georgia State. They had an open house the same weekend. I saw the a cappella groups performing, and I knew I wanted to be a Bella.”

“So, you came to Barden specifically to join this group?”

“Yeah,” said Chloe.

“I barely knew it was even a thing before the activities fair.”

“Still think it’s lame?”

“Maybe a little,” said Beca. “But I’m enjoying it overall. I’ll try not to get arrested after the next competition.”

“That’s probably a good plan.”

They chatted a bit more until their food arrived. Once they were done and Chloe paid the check (Beca had offered, but Chloe insisted because she was the one who had asked Beca), Beca said, “Up for some air hockey?”

“Only if you don’t mind losing.”

“That’s what you think!” exclaimed Beca.

Chloe set up the game and let Beca choose which side.

“The Grand Champion of Record Major is prepared to defend her title!” exclaimed Beca.

“What?” asked Chloe.

“That’s the music store where I worked in high school. We had an air hockey table in the backroom, and we had little tournaments. I won the last one we had this past summer.”

Beca scored the first point. “Oh yeah!” she exclaimed. She scored two more points and pumped her fist in the air.

Chloe waved her hand in front of her face, fanning herself. “It’s getting hot in here,” she said, unbuttoning a few buttons on her top.

Beca’s eyes went wide as her girlfriend leaned over to continue the game, full cleavage on display.

“Got one!” Chloe exclaimed.

Beca stood there, mad at herself for being distracted by Chloe’s boobs.

“You don’t play fair,” Beca said.

“What?” asked Chloe, feigning innocence.

Beca grumbled. “The Grand Champion will not be defeated!”

“Sure, Beca,” said Chloe, unbuttoning another button.

Chloe went on to score two more points, tying the game 3-3.

“Dammit, Chloe!”

Beca got her head together to score two more points, but Chloe leaned over just a bit further and scored two more.

“I know what you’re doing, Chloe.”

“What’s the matter, Beca? See something you like?”

“You’re a pain in the ass, do you know that?”

“I just play to win,” said Chloe. She scored two more points, winning the game 7-5.

“That was  _ so _ not fair,” said Beca.

“It’s not my fault you’re distracted by boobs.”

“You’re not wrong. Skeeball?”

“Sure.”

The two of them played games for a good while, enjoying some friendly competition and some more trash talking. They finally wrapped it up after a few hours and headed back to Beca’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Song used: “[This Feeling](https://youtu.be/fKtY_37r1VI)” by The Chainsmokers, ft. Kelsea Ballerini


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Rating changed to M!

####  **_Beca_ **

The second Beca closed and locked the door, she felt Chloe push her up against it, kissing her hard. Beca returned the kiss, pulling Chloe closer to her. Her brain finally caught up to her when they finally broke apart to catch their breath.

“Wait!” she exclaimed as Chloe went in for another kiss. 

Chloe took a step back. “Too much? I’m sorry, I thought you were into it.”

“I was. I mean, I am. I just think we should talk before things go further.”

“Okay,” said Chloe. “Should we sit down?”

“Yeah,” said Beca, leading her to the couch.

“So, what’s up?”

“I really like you and care a lot about you, and I don’t want to mess this up.”

“I care a lot about you too, Beca.”

“I’m not a virgin, but I don’t have a lot of experience.”

“Okay, well, we can take it slow. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

“Anything we  _ both _ don’t want to do.”

“Of course,” said Chloe.

“I don’t really know how this works. I mean, the talking part. I don’t know how this discussion goes.”

“We don’t have to talk numbers if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t mind telling you. I had a girlfriend in high school. Well, for the last few months of it. We broke up at the end of the summer.”

“That must have been hard.”

“Not as much as you’d think,” said Beca. “I don’t think either of us was into it long-term, you know? We knew Alex was headed to the University of Michigan, and I was headed here to Barden. We weren’t interested in a long-distance relationship. Alex meant a lot to me - she still does - but more in the ‘first girlfriend’ sense. She was my first kiss, well, my first everything. We still keep in touch, but we have both moved on. She’s dating this adorable girl. They’re really happy and I’m happy for her.”

“Does Alex know about me?”

“She knows about the Bellas, but I haven’t told her about the two of us dating. I actually haven’t texted her in at least a week. Anyway, she worked with me at the record store. I didn’t even know she liked girls until we started kissing.” Chloe laughed and motioned for Beca to continue. “She was a really good girlfriend, and I learned a lot. We only slept together once, though, just before we both flew out to our respective colleges.”

“And?”

“It was good,” Beca said, her face getting warm. “At least, I liked it. I don’t have any other experience to compare it to, though. And I think I made her feel good, but I’m not sure…”

Chloe squeezed Beca’s hand. “Everyone is different, Beca. I’m sure you won’t disappoint. And I’m willing to take as much time as either of us needs to figure it out.”

“Right, so, that’s me.”

“Well, you know about the girlfriend I had in high school. Her name was Jill. Tom and I dated in our freshman year, but we soon figured out our chemistry was almost entirely physical. I like him fine, but he’s kind of a shitty boyfriend.”

“Why?”

“He’s not great with communication, and he was always eyeing other girls. Honestly, we were best at makeup sex. So, we’ve had a friends-with-benefits thing going for years. It’s never often, and never while either of us has been in a relationship. Sometimes, I just need, well, more than my vibrator can give me.”

Beca was shocked the girl was talking about sex toys like she was discussing her favorite food or how she picks out which television show to watch.

“So, I’ve only had a couple of serious relationships - Jill, Tom, and Doug. Doug and I dated in high school too. And, Aubrey and I hooked up once in our freshman year.”

“No shit! You and Aubrey?”

“We were really, really drunk.”

“And?”

“Aubrey cried and told me she thought she was gay afterward.”

“Why does that not surprise me?” asked Beca.

Chloe laughed. “Anyway, I’ve always been pretty careful about being safe. I always used condoms with the guys. And I’ve always cleaned my sex toys when I shared them.”

Beca felt her face get hot again when Chloe said “sex toys.”

“So, anyway, we can go as far as we both want tonight, and we can stop at any point, okay?”

Beca nodded, and, in a burst of confidence, she turned, swung her leg over Chloe’s, and sat in her lap, kissing her, gently putting her arms around her girlfriend. She felt Chloe pull her close with one arm and gently stroke her hair with the other. She rolled her hips instinctively at the action.

They continued making out for a while until Chloe finally whispered, “Bedroom?” into Beca’s ear. She nodded and they headed down the small hallway into Beca’s room. Chloe pulled down the covers and sat on the bed, and Beca sat on her lap again, as she’d done on the couch earlier. Chloe reached for the top button on Beca’s flannel, a questioning expression on her face. Beca nodded, and soon the shirt was unbuttoned and falling down her shoulders. She pulled it off the rest of the way and threw it aside. They resumed their makeout session, this time she felt Chloe reaching for the hem on her tank, lifting it just enough to touch Beca’s bare skin on her back. Beca sighed as they continued to kiss, loving the feeling of Chloe’s hands on her skin as she pulled her closer. It reminded her of the naked hugging and kissing they’d done in the shower that morning, and she felt a rush go through her entire body.

When they pulled back again, Beca reached for the buttons on Chloe’s shirt, surprised when the woman helped her. Chloe tugged again at the hem of the tank, and Beca removed it, glad she’d worn a nice black bra underneath. Chloe, not surprisingly, had a pink lace bra on. Beca tentatively reached to cup her breast over her bra, relaxing when she felt Chloe’s hand go over hers in silent permission. Chloe moaned and threw her head back as Beca gave her breast a gentle squeeze. She touched the other breast with her other hand, thrilled to hear another moan as she squeezed both of them. She gently rubbed her nipples with the pads of her thumbs, feeling them both quickly hardening.

“Damn, Beca. That’s so good,” she said. “Can I?”

Beca saw Chloe was staring at her breasts, and she quickly nodded. Beca’s breath hitched the second she felt Chloe’s hands on her breasts. Chloe gently palmed them before peppering kisses on the swells. She looked up at Beca as she reached behind her, waiting for Beca to nod before unhooking it. Beca hastily grabbed it as it fell down her shoulders and tossed it to the floor as Chloe continued to kiss her.

Chloe brought her face back up to Beca’s, capturing her lips in another kiss and pulling her close. Beca didn’t even realize she was leaning back until her head hit the pillow and her back hit the mattress. She continued to make out with Chloe while reaching her hands behind Chloe to unhook her bra. It took longer than she’d expected, but she got it undone with minimal frustration. Chloe broke away for just a moment to toss the undergarment to the side before resuming the kiss.

Chloe slowly moved her lips away from Beca’s, kissing down her jawline, neck, and the valley between her breasts. She slowly kissed a line straight down her stomach, causing Beca to jump just a bit when the woman hit a ticklish spot. Chloe looked up at Beca and grinned before resuming her path.

Beca looked down to see a questioning look in Chloe’s eyes as she reached for the button on Beca’s jeans. She nodded, and Chloe had them open. She lifted her hips to help Chloe remove her jeans, and she was glad that she’d worn a nice pair of underwear that matched her bra. It was the only remotely sexy set of underwear that Beca owned.

Beca felt like everywhere Chloe had touched was on fire, and she found herself quickly removing her underwear, finding she no longer wanted anything between herself and Chloe.

“Chloe,” she whined. She’d normally have been embarrassed to have whined, but she’d been on edge ever since Chloe had invaded her shower that morning. She was far too gone at this point to care how she sounded.

Beca was thankful when Chloe finally touched her where she needed it most, starting with her fingers. She could hear just how wet she was by the sound of her girlfriend’s fingers. The next thing she knew, she felt her girlfriend lift each leg over her shoulder so she could use her tongue. It wasn’t long before Beca came hard, fisting her sheets and crying out Chloe’s name.

Once she came down from her high, Chloe moved back up to lie next to her. She pulled Beca close and they shared a few long kisses before Beca realized Chloe had to be pretty worked up. She moved her hands down Chloe’s back until they were on her ass. She heard an appreciative moan as she gave her ass a squeeze.

She moved her hands to the button of Chloe’s jeans, stopping for just a second to work up the nerve and make sure her girlfriend wanted this. Chloe rolled her hips, so Beca undid her jeans and guided her onto her back. Chloe immediately yanked her jeans down, and Beca saw that she was wearing a thong underneath that matched the girl’s bra. A quick glance told her Chloe wanted this just as much as she had. She stroked her over her underwear, thrilled to hear the sexy sound she’d pulled from her.

She quickly removed the underwear, not even paying attention to the direction in which she threw it. She hadn’t done this before - she and Alex had only used fingers on each other - but she thought she’d try what she’d felt Chloe do on her. She started tentatively, paying attention as best as she could to the way Chloe reacted when she touched or licked different places, gaining confidence as she heard Chloe’s moans and calls of her name increasing in volume and intensity. She found a rhythm that made Chloe’s hips buck like crazy. She hitched Chloe’s legs over her shoulders and tried her best to hold her still so she could focus on what she was doing. Her instincts must have been correct because she soon heard Chloe screaming while she clenched around her tongue. She gently licked her until she came down.

She cuddled up to Chloe afterward, snuggling into her open arms and laying her head on her chest. She felt a kiss on top of her head and sighed happily.

“Beca, that was…” Chloe sighed.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” said Chloe. “It was awesome.”

“Good,” she said. “I’ve never done that before.”

“I thought you said you’d slept with Alex.”

“I did,” said Beca. “It was...manual.”

“Got it,” said Chloe. “Well, I never would have known.”

“Good.”

“Let’s get some sleep,” said Chloe.

“M’kay,” said Beca, yawning. She gave Chloe a tighter squeeze before relaxing and falling asleep in her arms.

* * *

####  **_Chloe_ **

Chloe woke up a few minutes before Beca’s phone alarm, in Beca’s bed, with Beca in her arms. She smiled to herself, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world. She placed a kiss on top of the head of brown hair that was still resting on her chest, arms wrapped around her middle. She loved feeling Beca so close to her, as they hadn’t put on pajamas after the night’s lovemaking. 

“Morning, baby,” Chloe said.

“You’re comfy,” said Beca.

“So are you, but you heard Aubrey, practice is at 8 am.” 

Beca groaned and shut off the alarm. “Okay, I’m up. I need a shower.”

“Can I come and join you?”

“What is it with you and showers?”

“I discovered your beautiful singing voice in a shower,” said Chloe. “What’s not to like?”

“You’re so weird,” said Beca. “But, yeah, you can join me. Just showering, though! We’ll be late otherwise.”

“I’m feeling pretty good from last night,” said Chloe.

“Me too.”

They stepped into the shower, and a song came to mind that she hoped Beca knew.

_ Your pussy is God and I love it  
_ _ Gonna kiss me real hard, make me want it _

She was thrilled when Beca immediately picked up the song and continued.

_ I think star signs mean nothing  
_ _ But I know you feel right so I'm coming _

They continued together.

_ They say it gets hard when you're getting up  
_ _ Been knocked down from some other love  
_ _ But their best wasn't good enough  
_ _ And you're number one to me _

_ You're extra special, something else  
_ _ Or maybe it's you  
_ _ And I've been looking for something I want  
_ _ And baby, it's you, ahmm _

They were shocked when they heard two voices from the shower next door continue the song.

_ Your pussy is God, and you know  
_ _ I think you're so cute when you get high  
_ _ I've never been good at this nice shit  
_ _ But I can try if you like it  
_ _ Sayin' it gets hard when you give a fuck  
_ _ Get knocked down from some other love  
_ _ But their best wasn't good enough  
_ _ And you're number one to me _

As they were singing, Beca pointed to the shower wall, her eyes as big as saucers.

Chloe simply shrugged and sang the next line.

_ (You really, you really) _

Beca joined her.

_ (You really taught me how to) _

Aubrey and Stacie picked up the next line.

_ You know that it's God, baby, when you're around her _

Beca and Chloe continued their part.

_ (You really, you really) _

Aubrey and Stacie continued theirs.

_ I've been praying for hours _

They finished the chorus in the same fashion.

_ (You really taught me how to)  
_ _ You know that it's God, baby, when you're around her  
_ _ She's God and I've found her, oh  
_ _ (You really, you really) _

They continued singing together. Everything sounded so good that Beca and Chloe forgot they needed to hurry up and get clean for Bellas’ practice.

“Nice singing, you two!” Chloe called.

“Thanks!” Aubrey and Stacie replied.

Beca shook her head. “What just happened?”

“I think our shower duet just became a quartet.”

“Who knew all of us knew King Princess?”

“Four women who love women knowing a lesbian icon, what a shocker,” said Chloe, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Yeah, good point. Alex actually introduced me to her music.”

“Did she ever sing that song to you?”

“No.”

“Good.”

“Don’t be late for practice!” Aubrey called.

They quickly finished their shower. Beca left the bathroom first to get dressed. As she dried herself, Chloe heard Beca groan from the bedroom.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, walking into the bedroom.

“My dad,” said Beca, looking at her phone. “Well, I guess he’s trying.”

“What?”

Beca handed Chloe her phone.

_ Dad: Beca, I found an LGBT friendly church. Do you want to join Sheila and me? And did I get the letters right? _

“What should I say?”

“Well, you have Bellas’ practice this morning anyway, so…”

“Right,” said Beca. She tapped a reply. After a minute, she groaned again.

“What did he say?”

“He invited me to lunch. Ugh, I’m not ready for this. Sheila was so, so hateful…”

“Do you want me to go with you?” asked Chloe.

“I...no, if that’s okay? I just don’t even know if I’m ready to tell Sheila.”

“We could pretend to just be friends.”

Beca shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t want you to have to listen to whatever comes out of her mouth.”

“Beca, I’m not going to tell you what to do. But, maybe you could give her a chance. You said your dad was cool with it when you told him, right?”

“He was. I guess I should go over. I think I’d like to go by myself first, though. He said he had lawyer friends who might be able to help me get the charges dropped. I should probably get that information.”

“Speaking of that night, I owe Al some cookies. I’ll bake them while you’re at your dad’s.”

“Thanks for understanding, Chloe.”

“Of course,” said Chloe, giving Beca a quick peck on the lips.

“Oh, shit! I forgot about your tea! I’ll start the hot water now.”

“Thanks,” said Chloe.

“The box of tea bags is in the cabinet to the right of the microwave. Pick one out when you’re dressed. The honey is in there too. Travel mugs are on the shelf above.”

“Got it,” said Chloe.

Beca came back after a few minutes to finish getting dressed.

“I just got a text from Benji. I’m going to run up to his apartment and grab my car keys if that’s okay.”

“Sure,” said Chloe. She was worried about Beca going alone to her dad’s, but she had to respect her wishes. She hoped that maybe Sheila wouldn’t be so awful if she found out she had a gay stepdaughter. She wasn’t planning to come out to her, though. 

Beca came back inside with her car keys just as the tea kettle whistled. Chloe poured the hot water into the travel mug with the peach tea bag she’d chosen.

“Your car or mine?” asked Beca.

“No radio station today?”

“Nope.”

“Yours? Otherwise, I have to run next door and get my keys.”

“We can take mine. Benji topped off the tank.”

Beca grabbed each of them a pack of pop-tarts and they drove to practice. Beca told Chloe about how excited Benji had been about his first paid magician job.

“Did you see Jesse?”

“Yeah, but he wouldn’t talk to me. I yelled at him for calling my dad to bail me out. I guess I owe him an apology.”

“Maybe you two can talk it out at the radio station.”

“I hope so.”

* * *

####  **_Beca_ **

When they got to practice, Stacie pulled Beca aside. “So, you and Chloe hit it last night, huh?”

“Oh, were we too loud?” asked Beca, face getting warm.

“Nah,” said Stacie. “The song tipped me off. It’s an awfully explicit one for you two to sing if you’ve only kissed. And, you two were in the shower together. How was it?”

“I’m not talking to you about this.”

“That good, huh?”

Beca folded her arms, and she knew she had to be blushing furiously from the expression on Stacie’s face.

“You and Aubrey are awfully loud, you know?”

“What can I say? The Hunter doesn’t disappoint.”

Beca could only smirk back.

“So what’s with the eyes?” asked Beca.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Beca rolled her eyes. “I saw you. Every time Aubrey yells at someone, you make these googly eyes at her and she shuts up.”

“Eh,” said Stacie, shrugging. Beca figured they must have worked out a system.

The other Bellas had rolled in while the two of them were talking, so Aubrey immediately called practice to order.

Every time Chloe tried to say something, Aubrey continued to act like she hadn’t heard a thing. When Amy had added a few of her own improvisations to her solo, Chloe had praised her for her creativity. “Great job, Amy!”

“That’s not how you’re supposed to do that part!” exclaimed Aubrey.

“Chloe has a point,” said Beca. “If she’s your co-captain, why don’t you  _ ever _ listen to her?”

“Beca,  _ I’m _ the one in charge here.”

Beca opened her mouth to say something, but she stopped when she caught Chloe’s eye.

Chloe didn’t try to speak up for the rest of the practice, frustrating Beca. She tried to talk to her on the way back.

“Chloe, why do you let Aubrey do that?”

“Do what?”

“Don’t play dumb. You’re the co-captain, and she doesn’t let you say anything. Ever.”

“She has control issues.”

“So, she can do whatever she wants?”

“Well, no, but...I guess I’m just used to letting her have her way.”

“Look, Chloe, you’re the co-captain, and I’m not. I just don’t get it. She really should listen to your ideas and opinions. It would be nice if she listened to everyone, but she should be listening to you, at the very least.”

“I’ll talk to her again,” said Chloe. “I’m just used to doing things the way we’ve done them since before I joined the group.”

“You believe me, right? I would never do anything to hurt the Bellas, and a new sound would do us good.”

“I do believe you, Beca. I just don’t know how to convince Aubrey.”

“Okay. I just hope you do,” said Beca. “I’m actually a little late for my dad’s, so do you mind if I drop you off in front of the building? I don’t really want to go, but I’m going to try.”

Chloe gave her a quick kiss before leaving the car. “Good luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song used: “[Pussy Is God](https://youtu.be/ZGIkGbs1VEc)” by King Princess


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mild homophobia

_**Beca** _

Beca went straight to her dad’s after sending him a quick text that she was running a few minutes late.

She put on a fake smile and greeted the stepmonster nicely when the woman answered the door.

“Come on in, Beca,” said Sheila. “I’ve got lunch on the table.”

“What are we having?” asked Beca.

“Sandwiches. I have a bunch of lunchmeat and cheese and different breads.”

“Sounds good.”

She got to the table and saw a pretty good variety of things to eat. She’d worked up an appetite after all of the cardio Aubrey had forced on them.

“The bread over there is gluten-free,” Sheila said, pointing to one of the plates of bread.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were gluten-free,” said Beca. “Do you have celiac?”

“No, I’ve just read that gluten is really bad,” she said.

Beca tried not to roll her eyes at the woman. Her old girlfriend Alex had celiac, and it was always difficult to eat out. She’d had a pretty good handle on her condition, and Beca generally just let Alex pick where to eat when they went out.

“Okay, well, that’s all you,” said Beca, taking a roll from the plate of regular bread.

“I got the meat and cheese that you like,” said her dad.

“Thanks, Dad,” she said. She made herself a plate, grabbed a drink, and sat down to eat. She was two bites into her sandwich when the stepmonster opened her mouth again.

“So, we tried a new church today,” she said. “I don’t know why, but your dad really wanted to switch.”

“What did you think?” asked Beca.

“I don’t know. I thought it was weird. They had a band instead of an organist. The singing was good, but the guitar player was a woman with a buzzcut. She must be one of those lesbians.”

Beca dropped her sandwich.

“And the pastor introduced us to his son and his husband. He has a gay son!”

“Honey, there’s nothing wrong with that,” said Beca’s dad, shooting his daughter a wink.

“That’s not what it says in the bible,” said Sheila. “I don’t know that I want to stay at a church like that.”

Beca clenched her fists under the table, trying to avoid getting into an argument with the stepmonster.

“The bible also says to love thy neighbor,” said her dad. “It didn’t say to love only your straight neighbors.”

“What do you think, Beca?” asked Sheila.

Beca had hoped she could just keep quiet, but the woman had asked for her opinion. She took a deep breath and steeled herself before speaking. “I think that a homewrecking slut has no business criticizing anyone for being gay!”

“Beca!” her dad scolded. Both he and Sheila looked stricken.

“You will not talk to me that way!” shouted Sheila.

Beca’s eyes stung with tears she could no longer fight. “You slept with my dad, knowing he was married. He left my mom and me and moved across the country to be with you. And now you have the nerve to run your mouth about how horrible gay people are. Well, then, I guess I’m horrible because I’m gay!”

With that, Beca ran out the front door. She only took a moment to wipe away the tears before driving back to her apartment.

She saw several texts and one missed call from her father when she parked her car. She ignored all of them. She was putting her phone in “do not disturb” as she was walking to her apartment, and she didn’t even see Chloe walking toward her. She bumped right into her.

“Sorry,” she said, not looking up.

“Beca, are you okay?” asked Chloe.

“No,” said Beca, quietly.

“Do you want to come over to mine and talk?”

Beca nodded, feeling the tears starting again.

* * *

_**Chloe** _

_About an hour earlier_

Chloe got out of Beca’s car and headed to her apartment and preheated her oven to bake cookies. Once they were in the oven, she tried to talk to Aubrey.

“Aubrey, can we talk about practice today?”

“What’s there to talk about?” asked Aubrey.

“You keep telling me you’re going to let me have a say and you’re going to listen, but you never do. I’m trying to help us get better, but you won’t hear my ideas.”

“That’s because all of your ideas come from Beca.”

“They do not,” said Chloe. “Well, I guess some of them do, but she has good ideas. She wants to be a music producer, did you know that?”

“She doesn’t know shit about a cappella.”

“Aubrey, we’ve been doing the same set since we started as freshmen. Maybe it’s time for a change.”

“You never would have said that if it weren’t for Beca.”

“So, now that I have a girlfriend, my ideas no longer matter?” asked Chloe.

“No,” said Aubrey. “I just don’t think she knows what she’s doing. We’ve been to finals. These songs got us there before, and they’ll get us there again.”

“If you say so,” said Chloe. “I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree.”

The oven beeped, and Chloe took the cookies out of the oven. Once they were cool, she put them in a container and headed to Al’s office. She figured she’d just leave them with a note if he wasn’t available.

She walked down to his office and knocked.

“Hey, Chloe! Is everything okay?” Al asked as he opened the door.

“Everything is totes fine,” she said. “Here are the cookies, as promised. Please share some with the wife and kids this time.”

“I will if they last that long,” he said.

“Try and save some,” said Chloe. “I don’t want Betty thinking I forgot her.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Chloe left, giving him a little wave.

As she headed toward the stairwell, she saw Beca looking down at her phone when she was walking. She didn’t appear to see Chloe, and she walked right into her. Chloe immediately noticed her girlfriend was upset. She figured lunch with her dad and stepmother hadn’t gone well. Beca hadn’t even been able to form words when Chloe asked her if she wanted to come over. She’d simply nodded and burst into tears.

* * *

They walked into the apartment and immediately headed to Chloe’s bedroom. Chloe took her Bella scarf and tied it on the doorknob, earning a questioning look from Beca.

“It’s our code for not wanting to be bothered,” said Chloe. “I figured you didn’t want to talk to Aubrey.”

“Not really,” said Beca. “Oh my god! The scarf is code for sex, isn’t it?”

“Usually,” Chloe admitted.

“Chloe, I’m not--”

“I know. I just figured some privacy is in order.”

“But Aubrey is going to think we’re having sex.”

“She might, but I doubt it. I’m not even sure she’ll see the scarf. She’s been holed up in her room since I finished baking the cookies for Al.” Chloe handed Beca a box of tissues, sat down on her bed, and patted the spot next to her. “Sit down. Tell me what happened.”

“I might have called Sheila - the stepmonster - a homewrecking slut.”

Chloe tried to suppress laughter.

“It’s okay,” said Beca. “It’s kind of funny, now that I think about it.” She told Chloe the story about lunch with her dad.

“From what you have told me, she should be happy you didn’t call her anything worse.”

“She’s just...” Beca said. “I thought my dad leaving was awful, but having Sheila as a stepmother is even worse.”

“Come here,” said Chloe, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend, who had begun to cry again. Beca buried her face in her girlfriend’s shoulder.

Chloe decided to comfort her by doing what she did best. She sang.

_She says I smell like safety and home_   
_I named both of her eyes forever and please don't go_   
_I could be a morning sunrise all the time, all the time yeah_   
_This could be good, this could be good_

_And I can't change, even if I tried_   
_Even if I wanted to_   
_And I can't change, even if I tried_   
_Even if I wanted to_   
_My love, my love, my love, my love_   
_She keeps me warm, she keeps me warm_

Beca stopped crying but remained snuggled close to Chloe, so Chloe kissed her on top of the head and continued.

_What's your middle name?_   
_Do you hate your job?_   
_Do you fall in love too easily?_   
_What's your favorite word?_   
_You like kissing girls?_   
_Can I call you baby?_   
_Yeah, yeah_

“It’s Joan,” said Beca, loosening her grip a little and looking up at Chloe.

“What?”

“My middle name is Joan. I don’t hate my job, but I don’t love it either.”

Chloe smiled, realizing Beca was answering the questions in the song.

“I don’t think I fall in love too easily. I don’t have a favorite word, and, ‘yes’ to the last two.”

“Want to hear mine?” asked Chloe. Beca nodded. “My middle name is Marie. I don’t have a job, but I do fall in love too easily. My favorite word is arpeggio, and also ‘yes’ to the last two.”

“Can you keep singing?”

_She says that people stare because we look so good together_   
_Yeah, yeah, yeah_

_And I can't change, even if I tried_   
_Even if I wanted to_   
_And I can't change, even if I tried_   
_Even if I wanted to_   
_My love, my love, my love, my love_   
_She keeps me warm, she keeps me warm_   
_She keeps me warm, she keeps me warm_

Chloe continued the rest of the song, gently rubbing Beca’s back while her head was on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry she was so hateful,” said Chloe. “What did your dad say?”

“He was trying to stick up for me, at least at first. He got on me for name-calling, which is understandable. I basically came out to Sheila and bolted out of there. I know he’s tried to call and text me, but I can’t handle that right now. I was putting my phone in ‘do not disturb’ when I bumped into you.”

“You should try and talk to him,” said Chloe.

“I can’t,” said Beca. “I just can’t deal with either of them right now.”

“Did you try your mom? Oh, wait, are you two close?”

“We are,” said Beca. “But, I haven’t called her. I just don’t want to think about it anymore today. Can I just stay with you for a while?”

“Sure,” said Chloe. “Are you hungry? Did you end up eating?”

“I had two or three bites of my sandwich before she started. I swear that woman doesn’t want me to eat. Her previous homophobic tirade was about three or four bites into my mac and cheese.”

“I’ll make you a sandwich and you can eat it in here.”

“Okay,” said Beca.

“Any requests?”

“Surprise me.”

Chloe left and made Beca a turkey sandwich on rye, added potato chips to the plate, and brought it back to her room. When she opened the door, she saw Beca crack a smile for the first time since she’d gotten back from lunch.

“Does Aubrey have a rule against you eating in your bedroom?” asked Beca.

“Only if I don’t bring back the dishes. She keeps a count.”

Beca shook her head. “That’s nuts,” she said, in between bites.

Chloe entertained Beca with stories from their earlier days as Bellas, making sure to leave out the one resulting in her hooking up with Aubrey. Chloe didn’t think Beca needed the specifics of that situation.

Once Beca finished eating, she seemed to be in better spirits. “So, what do you want to do now?” asked Chloe.

“I don’t know,” said Beca. “I just like being here with you.”

“We could go to the living room and watch something.”

“What about Aubrey?”

“She’s been holed up in her room for a while, probably studying. I don’t think she’s coming out anytime soon. Besides, it’s my place too. Do you want to watch something? I know you said you don’t like movies, but is TV okay?”

“Yeah, TV is good,” said Beca.

Chloe fired up Netflix. “Any votes?”

“ _Charmed_. I love that show! The one with Alyssa Milano in it. I didn’t like the reboot too much, but the original is a pretty cool show.”

“I’ve never watched it.”

“Really? Then you definitely need to watch it. It’s about three sisters who find out they’re witches. I’ll let you decide if you like it or not.”

They watched the first episode, and Chloe decided she liked it. “This show kind of makes me wish I had sisters,” said Chloe.

“I always wanted sisters after I started watching this show. It might have made my dad leaving a little easier if I’d had siblings. Being an only child has its advantages, though. I never had to share my stuff.”

“I have four older brothers, so moving to Barden and living with another girl was interesting at first.”

“Wow,” said Beca.

“Yeah, my parents were determined to have a girl, so they just kept trying. My mom said she would have just resigned herself to having five boys if I’d been another one.”

“Five kids, though. That’s a lot.”

“Yeah. I love my brothers and wouldn’t have it any other way, but I definitely don’t think I want five kids.”

“That’s more than I could handle,” said Beca. “Can we watch another episode?”

“Yeah. Good show.”

“Hey!” yelled Beca in the middle of the episode.

“What?” asked Chloe, pausing the show.

“Piper has zero business calling Prue a sleaze for having sex on the first date.”

“Is that because we did?”

“Yeah,” said Beca, her face turning red.

“Do you regret it?”

“Not in the least.”

“Me neither,” said Chloe, resuming the show. Beca moved a little closer to her on the couch and snuggled into Chloe.

Aubrey walked into the room and looked questioningly at Chloe. She gave her friend a subtle shake of her head, and Aubrey appeared to get the message not to say anything. Beca seemed to finally be calm and relaxed, and Chloe was afraid Aubrey might spoil it.

“I think Aubrey would like this show,” said Chloe, as the third episode ended. “Do you want me to see if she would like to join us?”

“She hates me.”

“She doesn’t,” said Chloe.

“I guess it’s okay,” said Beca.

Chloe got up and headed to Aubrey’s room. “Hey, we’re watching _Charmed_ if you want to join us. I don’t know if you’ve seen the show, but I really like it so far.”

“I love it, but I’ll only join you if Beca doesn’t mind.”

“She said it was okay, but, between you and me, she’s had a rough day. So, be nice, okay?”

“I’m always nice.”

“That’s not how Beca sees it.”

Aubrey walked into the living room with Chloe. “So, what season are we watching?” she asked.

“Still the first season,” said Beca. “This is episode four.”

“Oh right, with John Cho. From the _Harold and Kumar_ movies,” said Aubrey.

“Haven’t seen them,” said Beca. “I don’t really do movies.”

Chloe said, “He’s been in a lot of stuff.”

“This is a good episode, but I think my favorite from this season isn’t until later,” said Aubrey.

“Which one is that?” asked Beca.

“The one where they time travel. I like all of those,” said Aubrey.

“Oh, me too!”

Chloe smiled. It made her happy to see her best friend finally getting along with her girlfriend.

They went through two more episodes before Chloe called it quits. “Beca, you can stay here as long as you’d like, but I always call my family on Sunday nights. They like to FaceTime me for their early dinner. 7:00 for me, 4:00 for them. I can introduce you if you want.”

“I’ll head back to mine if you don’t mind. I’d love to meet them, but maybe when I’ve had a better day,” said Beca.

“That’s fine,” said Chloe. “I think you should try talking to your mom, though. Or maybe Alex.”

“You don’t mind me talking to Alex?”

“First of all, I’m not that insecure. Second of all, I’m not about to control who you talk or don’t talk to. I trust you,” said Chloe.

“They’re both good ideas,” said Beca. “I’m going to head back now. Thanks for making me feel better.”

“Of course. I’d be a pretty shitty girlfriend if I didn’t at least try.”

Beca gave Chloe a quick peck before waving to both Chloe and Aubrey.

“So, what happened?” asked Aubrey.

“It’s not for me to tell,” said Chloe. “She’s just had a rough day and a bad experience. I sang to her and distracted her and now she feels better.”

“You distracted her, did you?”

“Aubrey, have you ever known me to be that quiet? I told her some stories from our earlier days as Bellas, and then we came out here and watched _Charmed_.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” said Chloe. “She was really upset. I just used the scarf because we wanted to be alone. So, have you talked to Stacie?”

“Not yet.”

“You’re scared.”

“Maybe.”

“I’ve seen the way she looks at you, and Beca has noticed too. Ask her out before someone else does.”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, I’m not going to tell you what to do. I’m going to fix myself something to eat so I can have dinner with my family.”

* * *

_**Beca** _

Beca headed back to her apartment and flopped down on the couch. Spending the afternoon with Chloe had made her feel a lot better, and she was surprised at how well she’d gotten along with Aubrey when a cappella wasn’t involved.

She thought for a while about whether or not she should call someone, and whether that someone should be her mom or Alex. She figured either one was a good choice, but she ultimately went with her mom.

“Hi, Beca, I thought you might call.”

“Oh?”

“I talked to your father today.”

“Oh,” said Beca. “I guess he told you about lunch today?”

“Yeah,” said her mom. “While I don’t blame you for calling Sheila a homewrecking slut, that probably isn’t the best way to get her to accept having a gay stepdaughter.”

“Why do I have to get her to accept me? If she’s homophobic, that’s on her.”

“I know, sweetheart,” she said. “But, she’s married to your father. And he’s the one who can afford to help you move to LA.”

“I know,” said Beca. “But, I just couldn’t...she was so hateful, Mom.”

“Your dad told me he’d had a long talk with her after you left. He’s been trying to tell you, but you won’t answer him.”

“I can’t deal with either of them today.”

“I understand that. But, please listen to the voicemail and read the texts tomorrow?”

Beca sighed. “I guess.”

“Your dad said he stuck up for you. He told Sheila that he wouldn’t listen to that kind of talk anymore. He was your father long before he was her husband, and he won’t tolerate anyone speaking that way about you.”

“Damn,” said Beca. “I almost wish I’d stayed around for that conversation.”

“I kind of wish I was a fly on the wall for that.”

“Yeah.”

“So, what did you do? I’m surprised you didn’t call me right away.”

“I...I went to my girlfriend’s place.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Yeah,” said Beca. “We just started dating. Her name is Chloe. She lives next door and is the Bellas co-captain. I was going to go back to my place and brood after I left Dad’s, but I actually bumped into Chloe. I was so upset I wasn’t looking where I was going. She saw how upset I was and invited me to her place for a bit. She let me cry, and held me and sang to me.”

“She sounds really sweet,” said her mom. “I hope I get to meet her sometime.”

“We’ve been on one date so far, Mom. Let’s not get crazy.”

“Can you at least send me a picture?”

“Yeah. I have a few from Friday’s Bellas competition. She’s the only redhead in the group, so she’s easy to find.”

“So, have you thought about Spring Break?”

“Not really.”

“Why don’t you come and visit me?” asked her mom. “I think it would do you some good. I haven’t seen you since Christmas.”

“Because I can’t afford to fly out to you.”

“Your dad said he’d buy you a plane ticket.”

“Oh,” said Beca. “More stuff I’d know if I’d talked to him, right?”

“I’d imagine so, but I know you need some time. So, is that a yes?”

“Yes,” said Beca. “I’d love to come and visit you again. Did you know Chloe is from Portland? Maybe we could drive up and see her or meet halfway or something. That’s assuming she’ll be home for break. I don’t actually know her plans.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” said her mom.

The two of them chatted, catching up on a few things. Beca’s dad had told her mom about the arrest, and she was thankful her mom immediately believed her side of the story. She encouraged Beca to try and patch things up with Jesse.

When she was done talking with her mom, she sent Chloe a quick text to thank her for the suggestion of talking to her mom. She fixed herself a bowl of Easy Mac and ate it while catching up on her reading for her classes.

She went to bed that night, a little lonely after having spent that last two with Chloe in her bed while also enjoying the fact that her sheets still smelled faintly of Chloe’s perfume.

* * *

The next morning, Beca took a deep breath before reading a series of texts from her dad. There were about five of them before he’d given up. In fact, the fifth one had stated that he was going to call her mom. The voicemail had started with scolding her again for what she’d called Sheila, but he’d also explained that he’d had a long talk with Sheila. She’d had no idea Beca was gay, and she’d never actually taken the time to think about how the things she’d said might affect her. She’d had a very conservative upbringing, and she’d been taught from a young age that homosexuality is wrong. She was going to try very hard to change her thinking.

Beca wasn’t up for talking, and she really needed to hurry up and get ready for school, so she sent her dad a quick text.

_Beca: I got your messages. Thanks. I’m okay. I just need some time before I see Sheila again._   
_Dad: I’m glad you’re okay. Take the time you need._

Beca stepped into the shower, and she immediately heard Chloe sing to her.

_I have heard it said so many times, "Love is blind"_   
_So why are you staring?_   
_You say that love is all we need, well_   
_Does that apply to me?_   
_Cause I have found someone_   
_That I think is beautiful_   
_And I have fallen in love_   
_And I'm telling you_

Beca immediately recognized the song - it was one Alex played a lot. She joined in on the chorus.

_She_   
_Means everything to me_   
_She_   
_Makes me feel nothing else matters_   
_Not even what the world thinks of me_

The two of them sang, and Beca felt like it had been just about as perfect as the one Chloe had sung to her the previous afternoon.

After Beca was ready, she met Chloe outside with a travel mug of hot tea with honey.

“This one’s blueberry, is that okay?” she asked.

“I still can’t believe you bought all of that tea for me,” said Chloe.

“And I can’t believe you’re turning me into a cheeseball,” said Beca.

“And proud of it!” exclaimed Chloe, giving Beca a quick peck before they headed to their cars.

“See you at practice!” called Beca.

* * *

At the radio station that afternoon, Beca tried to talk to Jesse, but he seemed to be ignoring her. He had a pair of headphones on and pretended not to hear her when she tried to talk to him. She knew she shouldn’t have yelled at him, but she didn’t think she deserved the silent treatment.

She gave Luke another flash drive of her latest mix. She saw him toss it onto a pile with the other flash drives as she left.

* * *

As Beca walked toward the parking garage after classes and practice a few days later, she heard her dad call her name.

“Yeah?”

“Can you come to the house?” he asked.

“Dad, I told you I’m not ready to be around Sheila.”

“She’s on her way to Vegas for a conference, so she’s not home.”

Beca sighed. “Okay, but not for long. I had practice today.”

“I’ll get takeout,” said her dad. “You’re hungry, aren’t you?”

“All of that cardio Aubrey makes us do certainly gives me one,” said Beca.

“Chinese or Mexican?” he asked.

“Mexican,” said Beca.

“The usual?”

“Yes,” she said. “Meet you at the house.”

Beca drove to the house before remembering she didn’t have a key to her dad’s. She sat in her car for a few minutes, texting Chloe.

_B: I can’t believe it, but I’m actually hanging with my dad_   
_C: Do you need me to come over?_   
_B: Stepmonster is out of town, so no_   
_C: Call or text if you need me_   
_B: Thanks_

Her dad showed up with a bag from her favorite Mexican take-out place. It was a tiny little family-owned place, and they both loved their food.

They sat down at the table and ate.

“I’m so sorry about Sheila,” her dad began. “I had a long talk with her. She won’t talk like that again. She had no idea about you.”

“Are you sure? She was pretty adamant that gay people are the devil or something.”

“She doesn’t think that about you. She didn’t know anyone who was gay, other than that one coworker of hers. She’d been taught all of her life that it was wrong. Having a gay stepdaughter has given her some perspective. It’s going to take some time, but she’ll get there. You do owe her an apology for the name-calling, though.”

“I guess I do. But she owes me one, too.”

“I know she does,” said her dad. “We’re going to go back to the church. I’ve contacted the pastor, and he said he’d talk to Sheila.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” said her dad. “So, how is everything?”

“Fine.”

“Do you still hate college?”

“I guess not,” said Beca.

“And, how are the Bellas?”

“Okay, I guess,” said Beca. “Aubrey never listens to Chloe. I don’t know why she has a co-captain anyway.”

“When is your next competition?”

“In a couple of weeks.”

“Would you like me to go?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” said Beca.

“Do you want me to book your flight for Spring Break?”

“Are you sure you don’t mind paying for it?”

“I don’t mind,” he said. “It’s the least I can do.”

“Okay, then, go ahead and book it.”

They had a pleasant evening chatting, and Beca felt a little better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used:  
> "[She Keeps Me Warm](https://youtu.be/NhqH-r7Xj0E)" by Mary Lambert  
> "[She](https://youtu.be/EJOP3v5g544)" by Jen Foster


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chloe** _

_A few weeks later_

Beca and Chloe were on another date. They’d gone to a park and had a picnic in the early evening. They’d walked around, hand in hand, afterward.

“What was it like to grow up with so many brothers?” asked Beca.

“Well, it’s not like I know any different,” said Chloe. “I love them dearly, but certain things were a pain in the ass.”

“Like what?”

“Well, my first period, for one. I got home from school one afternoon, and my parents were at work. The only one home was my brother Steven. He’s the third one of us. Anyway, I couldn’t find any feminine products. I guess I didn’t know my mom had already gone through menopause. He had to take me to the store to go buy pads, but I didn’t really know anything about what was available. I couldn’t get a hold of my mom either.”

“What did you end up doing?”

“He finally called his girlfriend, who is now his wife, to come to the store and help me,” said Chloe.

“That’s embarrassing.”

“I think it was harder on Steven. Anyway, the worst was when I started dating Doug. All four of my older brothers glared at him when I brought him home. I found out later that each one of them threatened him privately if he ever hurt their sister.”

“Ouch,” said Beca.

“Yeah, we didn’t last long. I think they scared him off.”

“They didn’t bother Jill?”

“No, it was much more fun teasing the two of us. All in good fun. Just more of the ‘I’m coming into the room, so please stop touching each other!’”

“Did they ever catch you two...ummm…?” Beca’s face flushed.

“No, although they did stop a few makeout sessions where hands went places they probably didn’t need to know about.”

“Oh.”

“So, what about your mom? Did she ever catch you and Alex doing anything?”

“Not really, but, keep in mind, she wasn’t home much when we were dating anyway. She took a second job in the middle of my senior year. Hell, the one time Alex and I had sex was in my twin bed in the bedroom I’d had since I was eight.”

“I think my first time with a guy was in a twin bed, too. It was his, though.”

“Yeah. Money was really tight in my senior year. I worked at the music shop to help cover my expenses, but that was really just my ‘fun money.’ My mom wouldn’t let me pay for anything other than that with the money I earned. Actually, I just found out a few weeks ago that my dad had offered to keep paying child support throughout my senior year of high school, but she’d refused. I guess I know where I get my fierce independence,” Beca said with a smirk.

“I happen to like your fierce independence.”

“He offered me money after he bailed me out of jail. It was weird, though, so I said no. Like, I guess he was going to just hand me cash or something. He did get one of his lawyer friends to have my charges dropped, though.”

“How did he manage that?”

“Pretty simple, actually. The guy saw the report, and nobody saw me throw the trophy and shatter the window. That makes sense because I didn’t actually do it. So the case was dismissed, and it won’t even go on my record.”

“Nice,” said Chloe.

“Oh, and he’s paying for my plane ticket to go back to my mom’s for Spring Break. Which reminds me, will you be in Portland?”

“I will. You should totes come and visit me.”

“Sure. My mom and I can drive up.”

“Awes.”

It was starting to get dark. “Hey, Chloe, can we head back? It’s getting dark and I’m getting cold.”

“I’ll just have to pull you closer,” said Chloe, putting an arm around her girlfriend. Beca rolled her eyes before smiling at her as they walked to the car.

They headed back to the building and headed right to Beca’s apartment. It was expected at this point that Chloe was staying over. It made more sense because Beca lived alone. The toothbrush that Chloe had normally kept in her purse now had a permanent spot in Beca’s bathroom. Aubrey had finally asked Stacie out for real, and Stacie was a frequent overnight guest in Aubrey’s room.

They sat on the couch, and Chloe immediately reached under the hem of Beca’s shirt to touch the skin underneath as Beca reached for the remote to the TV. Beca put the remote back down and turned toward Chloe. Chloe crashed her lips onto Beca’s while gently stroking the skin on her back, causing the younger woman to shiver. She pulled Beca close, thrilled to feel the woman’s hands in her hair.

When they broke apart to catch their breath, Beca said, “I thought we were going to watch TV, but this is better.”

Chloe resumed their kiss, trying to pull Beca even closer. She turned to lay Beca down on the couch. Shortly after they were horizontal, Beca yelled, “Ouch!”

Chloe sat up. “What’s wrong?”

“I bumped my leg on the couch,” she said. “I’m okay, but maybe we should head to the bedroom?”

“Sure,” said Chloe.

They lay on the bed, facing each other, and resumed the heated kissing they’d been doing on the couch.

“This needs to come off,” said Chloe, tugging at the hem of Beca’s shirt. They sat up, and Chloe pulled it over her head.

“Yours too,” said Beca, quickly removing Chloe’s shirt.

Chloe reached up and gently cupped Beca’s breasts in her hands, making the woman’s breath hitch. Beca crashed her lips back onto Chloe’s, gently stroking her right breast with her left hand. Chloe reached back to remove Beca’s bra before quickly going back to massage her now bare breasts.

Beca let out a low moan and broke the kiss to throw her head back. Chloe took the opportunity to move down to kiss Beca’s neck, careful not to leave a mark, knowing Aubrey would kill both of them if she found one.

Chloe heard Beca moan her name before reaching her hands around Chloe’s back to remove her bra. She put her lips back on Beca’s and lay them both down on the bed, pulling Beca close and loving the feeling of Beca’s skin on hers.

Chloe decided they were still wearing too much, so she reached down and unbuttoned Beca’s jeans. When she struggled to get them down, she felt Beca reach and yank them down herself, along with her underwear. Chloe took the opportunity to take off her jeans and underwear.

Beca peppered Chloe’s neck and chest with kisses before taking one of her nipples in her mouth and gently sucking while teasing her other nipple with her free hand. Chloe reached around Beca’s head and gently stroked her hair. Beca switched sides, and Chloe moaned her name. “Beca, yes...that feels so good.”

Finally, Beca brought her mouth back up to Chloe’s while her fingers headed for Chloe’s clit. She rubbed circles on it while Chloe’s hips bucked. “Inside...please…”

Chloe gasped at being filled, and soon she and Beca found a rhythm. She reached her hand to touch Beca, and she was unable to resist the temptation to slip inside when she felt how positively soaked Beca was. “Chloe! That’s...oh my god…”

The two of them continued until Chloe knew she was close. “Beca, I’m going to--” and she fell into orgasm before she could finish the sentence. Beca followed shortly after.

When they’d worn themselves out, Chloe lay on her back with Beca snuggled on top of her, head on Chloe’s chest.

“I love you,” Chloe said, pressing a kiss onto the top of Beca’s head. She saw Beca jolt her head up with a look on her face that could only be described as “deer in headlights.”

“You don’t have to--” Chloe felt a finger on her lips, shushing her.

“I love you too,” she said. “You just took me by surprise.”

Chloe felt relief wash over her. She pulled Beca tighter.

“Let’s get some sleep,” said Chloe. “We have semi-finals tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Beca mumbled sleepily.

* * *

_**Beca** _

Beca woke up in Chloe’s arms. It still surprised her just how comfortable she felt this way. Chloe had taken her by surprise when she’d told her she loved her. She felt a little bad for her initial shock, but she was glad she’d gotten herself together enough to say it back. When she heard her alarm, she hit the button on her phone before pressing a chaste kiss to Chloe’s lips.

“Morning. Love you,” she said.

“Hey, Beca. Love you too.”

“We need to get in the shower. Aubrey’s going to kill us if we’re late.”

The two of them headed to the bathroom, and Beca couldn’t help but giggle when she heard Aubrey and Stacie in the shower. “That should lower Aubrey’s stress level,” said Beca.

“Are you feeling stressed?” asked Chloe, winking.

“Much as I’d love to, you and I both know we are not going to be ready on time if we start that.”

“Fair enough,” said Chloe.

Chloe started singing shortly after Beca started the water. Beca didn’t even bother to tell Chloe to rest her voice.

After another shower quartet (something that was happening more often than not when Chloe stayed over), they quickly finished up so they could get ready.

Once they were clean and out of the shower, Beca put on her Bellas uniform and dried her hair before they headed back to Chloe’s. Chloe had to change into her uniform, and she had to do both her hair and Beca’s.

When they walked in, they saw Aubrey sitting on the kitchen counter while Stacie stood between her legs, the two of them making out while already dressed in their Bella uniforms and hair up. They both flipped Beca the bird when she snickered as she walked past them.

Chloe did Beca’s hair in record time again. “I seriously don’t know how you manage to do that so fast.”

“I don’t know,” said Chloe. “I was always good with hair.”

They came out of Chloe’s room and discovered that Aubrey and Stacie had left ahead of them.

“We’ll take my car,” said Beca.

* * *

Chloe turned the radio to WBUJ, Barden’s radio station, as they drove to campus. Beca couldn’t believe her ears when she heard her mix of “Bulletproof” and “Release Me” playing. She took off running toward the station after she parked her car.

“Hey!” she yelled at Luke, who was in the DJ booth unable to hear her. She banged on the window. “This is my track! You’re playing my song right now! That is awesome! You like it? You put it on the radio! That is amazing!” She was so excited, and she didn’t even care that Luke probably thought she sounded ridiculous.

“Sick beat,” said Luke.

“Yeah, I always thought her beats were pretty sick,” said Jesse, from the second level of the station.

“The deejay at ‘The Garage’ does a brilliant mix of this song as well but yours? It’s better,” said Luke.

“Yeah, it is,” said Beca, feeling cocky.

“I’m going to listen to her tonight. I think you should come with,” said Luke.

“I have a thing,” said Beca.

She saw Luke look her over. “Flight attendant training?”

“Yeah, that’s it. I’m practicing saying, ‘Coffee, tea, pillow?’” Beca waited for a beat. “No, I’m a Barden Bella. Tonight’s the semi-finals.”

“Really?” asked Luke. “I did not have you pegged as an a cappella girl.”

“That’s ‘cause you don’t know Becky like I do,” said Jesse. He turned to Beca. “See you tonight.” He walked out the door of the radio station, carrying his Trebles jacket with him.

Beca stood outside the booth, smiling. Part of her couldn’t believe Luke had finally played one of her mixes.

Just as the song ended, Chloe came to the radio station. “Come on, Beca, let’s go. I convinced Aubrey to let you stay at the station until your song is over, but she’s going to lose her shit if you don’t head to the bus.”

As they walked over to the bus, Beca saw Benji by the Trebles’ bus, begging them to bring him with them.

"Can I hitch a ride? I’d take my car, but...I don’t have one,” said Benji.

“Benji, I’m sorry,” said Jesse. “I think only Trebles can ride the bus. It’s pretty much a rule.”

“Of course. Good luck tonight,” said Benji.

Beca said, “Really? You don’t have room for _one_ extra person?” She turned to Benji. “Hey, Benji! Catch!” She tossed him her car keys, which he did not catch.

“Take mine,” said Beca, as he picked up the keys off of the ground.

“Thanks, Beca,” Benji said, and his face lit up like a Christmas tree.

* * *

Beca and Aubrey were having a serious discussion about _Charmed_ when Fat Amy pulled the bus into a gas station.

“I didn’t want to like the show after Shannen Doherty left,” said Aubrey. “But I kind of loved Paige.”

“Me too,” said Beca. “I loved that they made her different.”

Fat Amy interrupted their conversation. “Don’t you flat-butts worry, I’ve got this. I’m just going to pump and dump.”

“I did not need to know that,” said Beca.

They were discussing which villains on the show were their favorites when they heard Amy yell, “I’ve been shot! I’ve just been shot! Help me!” from behind the bus.

Cynthia Rose was the first to get out of the bus, followed by Beca and Lilly.

When Beca came around, Amy was sitting up. “I’m sitting up. I’m talking, there’s no need for mouth-to-mouth.”

“What happened?” Beca asked.

“Bumper threw a big-ass burrito at me! I’m going to kill him, I swear. I’m going to finish him like a cheesecake.”

“Okay, Amy, let’s get back in the bus,” said Beca. “Let’s find you a clean shirt.”

They got on the bus, and Beca explained what had happened.

“It’s a good thing I repaired that blouse you wore at regionals,” said Aubrey. “Put that on and let’s get back on the road.”

* * *

Beca looked at Amy and noticed there was a little bit of burrito just behind her ear. She got up from her seat next to Chloe and moved to the empty one behind Amy.

She quietly said, “You’ve got yourself a little something there.”

“Just leave it,” Amy replied. “It fuels my hate fire.”

Just as Beca sat down, Chloe began to sing.

_I hopped off the plane at LAX with a dream and my cardigan_

Cynthia Rose joined her.

 _Welcome to the land of fame excess  
_ _Am I gonna fit in?_

The next thing she knew, the rest of the group joined in, some of them even doing the a cappella version of the instrumentation. She folded her arms and refused.

 _Jumped in the cab,  
_ _Here I am for the first time  
_ _Look to my right and I see the Hollywood sign  
_ _This is all so crazy  
_ _Everybody seems so famous_

Beca said, “This is lame.”

 _My tummy's turnin' and I'm feelin' kinda homesick  
_ _Too much pressure and I'm nervous,  
_ _That's when the taxi man turned on the radio  
_ _And the Jay-Z song was on  
_ _And the Jay-Z song was on  
_ _And the Jay-Z song was on_

The entire group was looking at Beca, urging her to join in. Chloe said, “I know you know it, Beca. You just sang it with me in the shower this morning.”

“Chloe!”

“We heard them,” said Aubrey.

“And we joined them,” said Stacie.

“Just for the singing,” clarified Aubrey.

A few Bellas just stared at the four of them. “Beca…” Chloe said, giving her the puppy-dog eyes.

 _So I put my hands up  
_ _They're playing my song,  
_ _And the butterflies fly away_

They continued the rest of the chorus until they heard the bus sputter to a stop. Amy announced that they’d run out of gas. Apparently, she hadn’t managed to fill up the tank when they’d stopped due to the flying Mexican food.

Aubrey initially refused when Chloe began to suggest they call the Trebles, and Beca couldn’t help but laugh just a little when Fat Amy refused to explain why she had Bumper’s number in her phone. Even Aubrey couldn’t think of another way to get to the competition, so she begrudgingly agreed.

* * *

Once they got on the Trebles’ bus, the Bellas all sat on one side, the Trebles on the other. Nobody spoke for the first few minutes, aside from Chloe thanking Donald for picking them up.

“So Bellas, what boring, estrogen-filled set have you prepared for us this evening?” asked Bumper.

“Umm, excuse me,” said Fat Amy. “But you guys are going to get pitch-slapped so hard, your man boobs are going to concave.”

“Gentleman, I believe we were in the middle of our warm-up,” said Bumper. He blew the pitch pipe before singing, “You can suck my balls” in a scale pattern.

The Trebles echoed him.

Not to be outdone, Fat Amy responded with, “You can lick my ass” in the same scale pattern.

The Bellas echoed her, and the groups tried to outdo each other until the bus screeched to a halt at the parking lot of the auditorium of the school hosting semi-finals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I am putting this fic on hold for a little while so I can work on Bechloe Week prompts.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience while I wrote for Bechloe Week. Let's head to the semifinals!

_**Beca** _

The groups shuffled into the auditorium, somehow managing not to arrive as close to their performance time as they had to regionals. Beca was relieved that the Trebles had been able to pick them up so quickly.

When they got backstage, however, the entire group was nervous as they watched a group called The Footnotes performing. They were polished and performed “Blame It on the Boogie” by Jackson 5, somehow sounding even more upbeat than the original. They even had performers who could do flips. There was no way they could beat them, and Beca wasn’t the only Bella worrying.

“Where’d he come from?” Stacie asked. Aubrey shushed her.

“It’s over,” said Fat Amy. “There’s no way we can beat the Footnotes _and_ the Trebles.”

They continued to watch as the group performed. Their moves were far more complicated than anything the Bellas had done, and they looked professional. The audience cheered wildly when they were done, and Beca saw the judges smile.

“Aca-huddle. Now,” said Aubrey. “The top two teams go to the finals, so we just have to beat one of them. If we do it exactly as we rehearsed, we’ll get there. Okay? Exactly.” She very obviously looked at Amy as she said the last word. “Hands in.”

“On three, or after three?” asked Stacie.

“Screw it. Let’s just do it,” said Aubrey.

The announcer introduced them, and they took to the stage.

They began their set, and Beca couldn’t help but notice that the audience looked incredibly bored almost as soon as they started. The sound guy was on his phone, and the judges were shaking their heads as they made their notes. She thought of an idea, and she decided to go for it when she glanced backstage to see the Footnotes mocking them. She shut her eyes for a brief moment before layering the chorus of “Bulletproof” in when Aubrey began her solo.

Chloe glanced back at her for a split second, grinning. A few of the others looked a little thrown, but Aubrey seemed to be the only one actually upset with her. Amy flubbed her choreography a little and exchanged a few more confused looks than were probably necessary, but everyone else seemed okay. Aubrey continued her solo, throwing Beca a pointed look several times, but somehow not messing up the choreography. The judges, however, looked impressed.

Aubrey threw her another glance as they ended “The Sign” and Beca chose to just leave the rest of the set alone. She knew Aubrey was probably going to kill her for this, but she thought she’d made a nice improvement.

The rest of the set continued without incident, and Amy managed not to remove any of her clothing at the end of her solo.

Beca wore a big grin as they exited the stage, figuring the group would thank her for improving the set and saving the performance.

“What the hell, Beca?” Aubrey asked. “Were you trying to screw us up?”

Beca chided herself for thinking Aubrey would be proud of her. She must not have noticed the judges’ reactions.

“Are you serious?” asked Beca.

“News flash. This isn’t the Beca show,” said Aubrey.

“Okay, I’m sorry that I messed you up, but, in case you hadn’t noticed, everybody had pretty much dozed off during our set,” Beca replied.

“It’s not your job to decide what we do and when we do it,” said Aubrey. “Why don’t you ask the rest of the group how they felt about your little improvisation?”

Beca glanced around, noticing none of them would meet her eye - not even Chloe. This hurt far worse than the venom Aubrey was spewing at her.

“Amy?” called Beca, hoping maybe she’d be on her side.

“It was cool,” said Fat Amy. “But, it did take us a little bit by surprise.”

“Yeah, a lot by surprise,” said Aubrey.

“Mmmm, a little,” said Fat Amy, quietly.

“I told you she wasn’t a Bella!” Aubrey exclaimed to Chloe.

“Aubrey, don’t--” Chloe began.

“No,” Beca said, cutting her off. “That’s okay. You don’t have to pretend you’re allowed to have a say in the group, right?”

Chloe looked hurt. Beca felt a little bad bringing this up in front of the others, but she was aggravated that her own girlfriend couldn’t even come to her defense.

Aubrey continued to yell at her. “Your attitude sucks, you’re a Grade-A pain in my ass, and I know you’re helping the Trebles.”

Just as luck would have it, the Trebles had just come backstage. “Whoa, whoa, Aubrey calm down,” said Jesse. “She’s not helping us. I swear!”

“Jesus Christ, that’s perfect. Of course you’re here right now. I don’t need your help, okay? Can you back off?” Beca lashed out at Jesse.

“Like we’d want some Bella helping us anyway. We don’t want to sing your girly shit!” exclaimed Bumper.

“Trebles, time to bring the pain,” Benji called.

“If this is what I get for trying--” Beca said. She stormed off, not even bothering to finish the statement.

“Beca?” called Benji. “Beca, wait.”

Beca continued on her way out of the auditorium, hurt that Benji was the only one calling for her.

“Beca!” called Benji.

“What?!” She spun around to see Benji dangling her car keys.

“I thought you might want your car.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“It’s okay,” said Benji. “I’ll take an Uber or something.”

“Thanks,” said Beca.

“Text me when you’re back safely, okay?” he asked.

“Will do,” said Beca.

She drove back to her apartment, enjoying being alone with her thoughts for a little while. She knew she’d have to talk things out with Chloe eventually, but, for now, she needed to be away from the Bellas and everything a cappella.

She got back to her apartment, texted both Chloe and Benji to tell them she’d gotten home safely, and then texted Luke. Maybe a night at the club would be just what she needed. He replied, telling her the name and address of the club. He said if she texted when she got there, he’d get her in. Beca didn’t have a fake ID, so she hoped he was right.

* * *

Beca drove over to The Garage and found Luke standing at the door next to the bouncer. He looked at her and asked, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just done with those girls,” Beca said.

“Oh, she’s with me,” Luke said to the bouncer, jerking his thumb toward the club. The bouncer nodded, and Beca followed Luke into the club.

“I can’t believe how much time I wasted on that a cappella shit!” Beca hollered over the music.

“Music is music,” said Luke. “But, the a cappella stuff, that’s just upsetting.”

“Yeah, but, when it’s done right, it’s actually pretty great,” said Beca, surprised to hear herself actually defending a cappella.

“Great is what you’re doing,” said Luke. He turned to look at her. “Listen, Spring Break in the booth, I want you to do the night shift. Play your own stuff. Do whatever you want, but the place is all yours, Becky.”

“It’s Beca,” she finally corrected Luke.

“What?” asked Luke.

“My name. It’s Beca. Not Becky. Well, it’s actually Rebecca, but I’ve never gone by Becky in my life.”

“Well, that’s weird. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I don’t know,” said Beca. “Why did you decide to play my music, anyway?”

“Well, I finally listened to it because Jesse kept bugging me. And, I thought it was solid. He’s a relentless kid. Oh, yeah, and Chloe texted me once or twice about it, too.” Beca simply nodded, taking all of this in. “So, how do you feel about hanging together again at the club some other time?”

“What?”

“Like, on a date, or whatever?” asked Luke.

“Well...no. I’m flattered, but, I’m gay and dating Chloe.” As Beca said this, she realized she wasn’t quite sure where she and Chloe stood. This was neither the time nor place to figure this out, so she didn’t elaborate.

“I did not know you were a lesbian.”

“Well, I don’t exactly sky write it,” said Beca.

“Weird. Well, anyway, can I count on you for the night shift for Spring Break? I know it’s last-minute.”

“Yeah, I can do that,” said Beca.

“Well, I’m going to go hang for a bit. You’re okay to look after yourself?” he asked.

“Yeah,” said Beca. She made sure to take small sips of the beer Luke had gotten her. She knew she’d have to drive home, and she didn’t want to risk having enough alcohol in her system to get into trouble.

Beca bopped along to the music, lost a bit in her thoughts. It was then that she realized she’d agreed to work at the station when she was supposed to be home in Seattle with her mom. She decided she’d call her mother after she left the club, taking advantage of the three-hour time difference.

Once midnight rolled around, Luke was nowhere to be found. Beca set her beer down by an empty barstool and headed outside. She sent him a quick text to tell him she was heading out and she’d catch him at the station the next day. She called her mother while sitting in her car in the parking lot.

“Hi, Beca. It’s late there. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, Mom. I was out.”

“How did the competition go?”

“It was...I don’t want to talk about it.”

“That bad?”

“I really don’t want to get into that tonight.”

“Okay,” said her mom.

“So, the station manager at WBUJ offered me a spot to work the night shift during Spring Break.”

“And you want to take it, right?”

“I kind of already did,” said Beca. “But I can tell him no.”

“Go ahead and work during Spring Break. It’s okay.”

Beca thought of a great idea. “Hey, Mom, do you want to come here and visit me? I bet I could get Dad to transfer my ticket to you.”

“Okay, let’s do that,” said her mom. “I’ll let you and your dad work out the details.”

“Thanks, Mom,” said Beca. She was so excited that she’d get to spend some more time with her mother, _and_ she’d get to finally play her music.

She drove back to her apartment, deciding she’d better head to bed. A part of her was so excited to play her music that she wanted to make a new mix, but another part of her was just exhausted from the night.

* * *

_**Chloe** _

Beca had just stormed off. Chloe felt so, so guilty. She’d actually been pretty impressed with her girlfriend’s “little improvisation.” She really should have stood up to Aubrey, and now she’d really messed things up with Beca.

“Aubrey, that actually went really well,” Chloe said. Unfortunately, she’d only managed to work up the guts to say something after the door had shut behind Beca.

“Chloe, stop!” Aubrey yelled back at her.

“Oh my god,” said Chloe. “Okay.” Now she had both her best friend and her girlfriend angry with her.

Aubrey stormed off, Stacie following her. Chloe decided she’d rally the rest of the group.

“Okay, ladies, let’s head back to our seats. Now is the time for bathroom breaks if you need them.”

“Yes, Mum,” said Fat Amy, rolling her eyes.

Chloe sent Beca a text while she waited for the others to use the bathroom.

_C: I know you’re mad at me but please let me know you got back okay_

Chloe decided to let things be. She checked to make sure the rest of the group was ready, and she led everyone to their designated seats in the audience. Stacie and Aubrey were already seated. Aubrey looked like she could throw up at any minute, and Stacie was holding her hand and whispering in her ear. It looked like it was helping a little.

Chloe crossed her fingers when they announced the awards that, maybe, by some miracle, the Bellas had managed to qualify for the finals.

This, however, was not to be. They’d gotten third. Aubrey bolted out the back door of the auditorium, Stacie following. The rest of the group looked dejected. Jessica burst into tears, consoled by Ashley (or, was it the other way around? Chloe couldn’t remember whether Jessica or Ashley was the blonde).

Chloe didn’t think the group would be able to endure the teasing from the Trebles, so she made the executive decision to order two UberXL’s back to Barden. It was pricey for sure, but it was worth it to her. She figured she and Aubrey could split the cost of whatever the joining fees hadn’t covered. She’d have to figure out what to do with the bus they rented the next day.

The Bellas split into two groups for the rides back. Chloe rode with Jessica, Ashley, Cynthia Rose, and Denise. Aubrey rode with Stacie, Fat Amy, and Lilly.

Aubrey’s group was picked up first, and Chloe only waited a few extra minutes for her driver. The guy asked why they were all dressed alike, and he only snickered a little when they’d replied that they were leaving a collegiate a cappella competition.

The ride back was pretty quiet. Chloe imagined the rest of the group was about as disappointed as she had been. She texted her mother to tell her that the season was over. Her mother told her that she’d scheduled her for nodes surgery during Spring Break, figuring she’d just delay it if the group went to the finals. She said she was sorry things hadn’t worked out, but relieved that they’d be correcting the problem sooner rather than later.

Beca texted Chloe to tell her she’d arrived home safely and that she needed some space. Chloe replied that she was glad she was safe and decided to respect her girlfriend’s wishes by not commenting any further.

Chloe was relieved that Aubrey and Stacie had waited for her to arrive at Barden. She’d contemplated asking the Uber driver to take her to her apartment after dropping everyone else off.

She got back to the building and saw Beca pull out of the parking lot in her car. Chloe ached to know what she was doing, but she reminded herself that she’d agreed to give her some time to work through her feelings.

She followed Stacie and Aubrey into the apartment, immediately entering her bedroom. Chloe put in a pair of earbuds and listened to some music, wishing she was with Beca.

Chloe decided to take advantage of the laundry facilities usually being available on Saturday nights, figuring she could also take a peek at the parking lot. This ended up making things worse when she saw Beca’s car hadn’t yet returned.

Chloe ended up watching some reruns of _The Bachelor_ while waiting for her laundry to finish. Each time, she looked for Beca’s car, worrying more and more each time she didn’t find it.

Once the last bit of her laundry was finished, Chloe went to bed. She spent most of the evening tossing and turning.

* * *

_**Aubrey** _

Aubrey had been nervous before they’d even walked onstage. She’d tried to act like she thought they had a chance to make it to the finals, but, after she saw the Footnotes, she knew the only way that was happening was if the Trebles messed up.

Still, she was the slightest bit hopeful when they began their set. Chloe sounded great, despite having nodes. Maybe Beca’s hot teas were helping. She’d barely had the time for that thought to go through her head when she heard Beca adding her own layer to the set - and during Aubrey’s solo! It figured the girl wouldn’t mess up Chloe’s solo. She managed to shoot her a look after “The Sign.” She hadn’t added anything else to the set, and the rest of it was performed as originally rehearsed.

After they’d gone off the stage, she’d let Beca have it. Just as Aubrey expected, Beca thought she’d improved things. Beca had said the audience had dozed off during her set, but Aubrey had actually been too nervous to notice. The rest of the group actually hadn’t been as upset as Aubrey had been. She reminded Beca that she wasn’t in charge. She reminded Chloe that she’d told her Beca wasn’t a Bella. Beca had also pointed out that Chloe hadn’t been allowed to have a say in the group, something Chloe had been pointing out to Aubrey for months.

The Trebles walked in during the altercation, and Aubrey had accused Beca of helping them. It had actually been a ridiculous accusation. There was no way Bumper would have ever agreed to such a thing - something he’d immediately pointed out.

The next thing she knew, Beca had stormed off. Chloe had tried to tell Aubrey that she’d thought it went well, but that was the last thing she needed to hear at that point. She walked out, making sure to go in a different direction from Beca. She heard footsteps behind her, and was relieved to see Stacie when she whirled around.

“Come here,” said Stacie, pulling Aubrey into a hug. “It’s okay, Aubrey. It’s okay.”

“It’s all over. The season is over,” Aubrey said as she cried into her girlfriend’s shoulder.

Stacie simply kissed the top of her head and rubbed soothing circles into her back.

When Aubrey gained a bit of control of herself, Stacie gently said, “Let’s go find our seats, okay?”

“Yeah,” said Aubrey, dabbing her eyes with the tissue Stacie produced out of her purse.

They sat down, Aubrey trying to slow her breathing and push down the nausea that was threatening to make itself known. Stacie held her hand and murmured calming things in her ear.

The second the announcer called that they’d gotten third place, Aubrey bolted toward the nearest bathroom, knowing she could no longer fight the nausea. She found a trash can just outside the seating area, and she barely made it in time. She glanced over at the ladies’ room and saw a long line, so she’d have never made it to a toilet in time.

Stacie produced another tissue from her purse for Aubrey to wipe her mouth as well as an item Aubrey didn’t even know existed.

“What’s this?” asked Aubrey.

“Travel mouthwash tablet,” said Stacie. “Go to the bathroom, put it in your mouth, and swish and spit.”

“Where did you…?”

“I bought some a while ago. After I saw what happened last year, I found these and put some in my purse. Just in case.”

“You’re something else, Stacie.”

She left, went to the bathroom, and cleaned out her mouth. She felt better, at least physically.

Chloe met up with her when she left the bathroom. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Not really,” said Aubrey.

“Look, I was thinking we should probably split two big Ubers back. I don’t think I want to ride the Trebles bus.”

“Fine,” said Aubrey. They both ordered UberXL on their phones, and Chloe split the group.

The Uber back was quiet, save for the music the driver was playing. She sent the rest of the group back to their dorms, glad when Stacie insisted on staying with her.

Chloe’s ride showed up a few minutes later, and she drove the three of them to the apartment. She spotted Beca leaving in her car as they pulled in.

Aubrey and Stacie headed to Aubrey’s bedroom once they got in, and Chloe went to hers. Stacie simply held Aubrey as she cried. She’d wanted so badly to redeem herself, and she was heartbroken that it wasn’t to be.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Chloe**_

The next morning, Chloe took one last peek at the parking lot, relieved to see Beca’s car parked in its usual spot. She decided to get some coffee and donuts for breakfast, figuring maybe she’d bring some over to Beca’s as a peace offering.

Once she got back, she carefully selected a donut for herself and one for Beca. She quietly told Aubrey and Stacie through the shut bedroom door that she was heading over to Beca’s and to help themselves to coffee and donuts if they’d like.

She took a deep breath and walked over to Beca’s and knocked, hoping for the best.

* * *

_**Beca** _

When Beca awoke the next morning, she called her dad.

“Hi, Bec, is everything okay? It’s awfully early.”

“Everything is fine, Dad,” lied Beca. “I was up.” It was a small lie. She was physically fine, but, emotionally, that was a different story.

“Okay, so, why are you calling?”

“Right,” said Beca. “Is there any way you can transfer my plane ticket?”

“What? Why?”

“Luke, the station manager at the radio station, offered to let me work the night shift for Spring Break. I was wondering if you could switch my plane ticket so Mom so she can visit me.”

“Sure, I think I can do that,” he said. “Let me pull up the information on the computer.”

The two of them worked out the details, and she had him send the flight details directly to her mother.

“Thanks, Dad,” she said. She heard a knock at the door. She looked through the peephole and saw Chloe on the other side, nervously chewing on her lower lip. “Dad, I need to go. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Sure, Beca.”

She said goodbye to her dad as she opened the door just a crack.

“Hi, Beca,” she said. “Can we talk? I brought breakfast.” Chloe held up a paper tray with two disposable travel mugs and a bag from a nearby donut shop.

“What is there to talk about?” said Beca, scowling.

“Beca!”

“No, you made things clear last night.”

“What?”

“I know where I stand,” said Beca. “You didn’t stick up for me, and you wouldn’t even look at me. I thought you loved me, but--”

“I do love you!” exclaimed Chloe.

“Well, you have a piss-poor way of showing it.”

With that, Beca shut the door. Chloe knocked on the door a few times, calling her name. Beca ignored her and put on her noise-cancelling headphones. She figured it best to channel her anger into making some more mash-ups. Spring Break was a week away, and she wanted to put her best stuff out there. She was aware that there wouldn’t likely be very many people listening, but she also wasn’t sure if/when she’d get the opportunity again.

* * *

Beca texted Jesse after Chloe left.

_B: I’m really sorry for yelling at you last night. Have a nice break if I don’t talk to you before then._

Beca waited a few minutes, but Jesse didn’t reply. She went to work on a few more mixes, almost forgetting to eat lunch and then head to the station. She ended up grabbing a protein bar and eating it in the car.

* * *

She got to the station, finding Luke there, looking a little perturbed.

“I wasn’t sure you were going to be here, Becky. I mean, Beca.”

“Sorry about that,” said Beca. “I was working on some new stuff.”

“Right,” said Luke. “Here’s the key to the station. Come into the booth so I can show you how to work everything.”

Beca followed Luke to the booth. Things worked mostly as expected, but she was glad for the tips and tricks he’d shared.

“So, I guess that’s everything. I’m sure you’ll do great.”

“Thanks.”

“And, no sex in the booth either.”

“That’s...of course not,” said Beca.

“That’s it, then. You’ll start at 11 pm, a week from Monday,” said Luke.

“Great,” said Beca.

Jesse walked in a few minutes later, wearing headphones. He waved briefly at Luke, but he acted as though Beca didn’t exist.

* * *

_**Chloe** _

Chloe couldn’t believe Beca had shut the door in her face. She’d never seen her so upset. She knocked and called her name several times before giving up. She walked back into her apartment, unable to avoid the tears that had come.

Stacie and Aubrey were sitting at the table enjoying the coffee and donuts.

“What did the hobbit do now?” asked Aubrey.

Chloe put down the coffee and donuts she’d intended to share with Beca and walked straight to her bedroom. She tied her Bella scarf on the door and shut and locked it. She cried and cried, this hurting her throat more than anything had ever bothered it.

She’d hated that she’d been put in this position - having to choose between her best friend and her girlfriend. And, it seemed, she’d definitely made the wrong decision.

She’d heard Aubrey knocking on her door, but she ignored it. Aubrey knocked harder.

“Leave me alone!” yelled Chloe.

Chloe heard Stacie telling Aubrey to stop and let Chloe have some space. This seemed to work, and all Chloe heard after a while was the television and some soft conversation. Chloe slipped on her earbuds and played an instrumental playlist on Spotify. It calmed her a little.

She heard knocking again after a while, this time much softer.

“Chloe?” Aubrey called. “I made you some tea.”

Chloe opened the door. “Thanks.”

“How’s your throat?” asked Aubrey.

“It hurts,” said Chloe, taking a sip of the tea.

“Does that help?”

“A little. Do we have any honey?”

“I don’t think so,” said Aubrey.

“Beca always adds honey.”

Aubrey’s lips formed a thin line at the mention of Beca.

“Why did you have to yell at her?” asked Chloe.

“She changed the set without asking.”

“And, how was she supposed to ask?”

“It wasn’t her job to change the set.”

“You know she was trying to help, don’t you?” asked Chloe.

“She has challenged me at every single turn.”

“That’s because she wants to make us better!”

“I don’t think so.”

“It doesn’t matter now, anyway. The season is over.”

“So, what’s going on with you and Beca?” asked Aubrey, softening.

“I don’t even know. She shut the door in my face when I tried to talk to her.”

“That sucks. I guess she doesn’t care about you as much as you thought.”

“Don’t you get it, Aubrey? _That’s_ how she feels about _me!_ ”

“What?”

“You lashed out at her last night, and she thinks I chose you over her.”

Aubrey simply looked back at Chloe. She opened her mouth several times to speak but shut it.

Chloe continued. “You forced me to choose between my best friend and my girlfriend. I’m so used to letting you have your way, and I fucked up. I should have been the one person she could count on to be on her side, and I wasn’t there for her. No wonder she’s angry.”

“She still shouldn’t have done what she did,” said Aubrey, folding her arms.

“Neither should I,” said Chloe. “What would you have done if I’d yelled at Stacie?”

Before Aubrey could answer, Stacie ran into Chloe’s bedroom, wearing only a shirt, asking, “Yell at me? Why would you yell at _me_?”

“You’re still here?” asked Chloe.

“I thought I’d stick around when Aubrey said she’d talk to you. Thought I could provide some stress relief.”

Chloe just shook her head while Aubrey looked at her girlfriend. “I thought you were going to go study,” said Aubrey.

“Ehh,” said Stacie, shrugging.

“Well?” asked Chloe.

Aubrey looked back and forth from Stacie to Chloe.

“Just what I thought,” said Chloe. “Now, if you two don’t mind, I’d like to be alone right now.”

Aubrey walked out of Chloe’s room, looking dejected. “Stacie, you probably should go. I really have some thinking to do,” said Aubrey as she shut the door behind her.

Chloe heard Stacie tell Aubrey goodbye and give her a kiss. Chloe finally breathed out after she heard both the front door and Aubrey’s bedroom door shut. She was going to apologize to Beca; she just had to figure out how.

* * *

_**Aubrey** _

Aubrey lay on her bed, closed her eyes, and thought. While she still thought that Beca was wrong to have made a change and thrown off the entire group, she really shouldn’t have put Chloe in that position. She definitely wouldn’t have taken it well if it had been Chloe yelling at Stacie. The more she thought about it, the more she thought it would have been a better choice to pull Beca aside and discuss what happened privately. What she’d done hadn’t been fair to Beca or any other Bella.

Still, the season was over, and there was nothing she could do about it.

She finally decided she owed it to Beca to apologize to her. She knew texting her was the coward’s way out, but she also knew that there was no way Beca would take a phone call from her, much less an in-person apology. She’d shut the door in her own girlfriend’s face that morning.

_AP: I’ve thought about last night, and I shouldn’t have yelled at you, especially not in front of the others. And I know you would never help the Trebles. I’m sure you’re mad at me, and I deserve that. I’m sorry._

She didn’t bother waiting for a reply. Instead, she walked across the hall to Chloe’s bedroom.

“Chloe?” she called again, knocking softly.

“What?”

“Can we talk?”

She heard Chloe sigh as she opened the door.

“I’ve done some thinking,” said Aubrey. “I’ve apologized to Beca. I shouldn’t have yelled at her in front of everyone, and I definitely shouldn’t have accused her of helping the Trebles. They walked in and were an easy target. And I’m sorry for putting you in the position I did.”

“Apology accepted,” said Chloe. “I love you, Bree, you know that?” Aubrey nodded. “I’m not going to throw away years of friendship over this. But, please, don’t ever put me between you and whoever I’m with, okay?”

“Okay,” said Aubrey. “Have you talked to Beca yet?”

“I don’t know what to say,” said Chloe. “And she won’t even talk to me.”

“What about singing to her?” asked Aubrey.

“That gives me an idea,” said Chloe.

Aubrey’s phone reminder went off. “Oh, shit! I totally forgot! We have to get the bus back!”

“Right,” said Chloe. “Do we have a gas can?”

“No,” said Aubrey. “But there’s an auto parts store on the way.”

“Great, we’ll take my car.”

They went to the store, bought a gas can, and put a gallon or two of gasoline into it. They were relieved to find the bus where they’d left it, untouched. They put some gas in it, and Aubrey drove it to the nearest gas station and filled the tank. Chloe followed Aubrey in her car to the rental place. They’d managed to get it back only about a half-hour before they closed.

* * *

_**Chloe** _

The next morning was Monday, and Chloe decided to continue to give Beca her space. She’d already made a mistake trying to talk to her too soon. She even managed to avoid singing in the shower, not that she felt much like it knowing her girlfriend was upset with her.

Chloe spent much of the week catching up on schoolwork that had piled up when she’d been spending her time at Bella rehearsals or on dates with Beca. She even managed to get together with her group for her Russian Lit project twice that week.

By Thursday night, she and Aubrey had completely hatched a plan to get Beca back.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can thank the Bellas for releasing the song and providing inspiration for this chapter. I'm not sure how soon I'll get the next one up, seeing as my oldest child was recently infected with COVID-19. She is asymptomatic, but understandably very upset and frightened. Please send positive thoughts, prayers, and/or good vibes that she tests negative this Friday (and that her brother and I do as well)!

_**Beca**_

Beca was feeling pretty lonely. She’d gotten an apology text from Aubrey, which she appreciated, but she didn’t answer. She didn’t even know what to say, and a part of her was still angry. However, the hurt she’d felt when Chloe hadn’t had her back was far worse than her anger at Aubrey. Also, Jesse had gone from barely speaking to Beca to completely ignoring her.

She was glad that she had Spring Break coming soon. She was looking forward to spending some time with her mom, and she really liked the idea of working at the radio station, even though it was the night shift.

She kept picking up her phone to call or text Chloe and then putting it down. Every time she wanted to forgive the girl, her mind kept flashing back to that moment after the semi-finals. She’d been looking to the one person on whom she thought she could count for support to find she wouldn’t even meet her eye. It kept reopening the wound. She knew this wasn’t the healthiest way to go about things, but she just didn’t know how to get it out of her mind.

A few of the Bellas had texted her. Ashley, Denise, Cynthia Rose, and even Lilly had each told her they’d liked what she’d done. It had made Beca feel a little better, and she’d even replied to them to thank them for their support and shared that she’d be working the night shift at the radio station during Spring Break. They’d all replied that they’d try to tune in.

She’d been most surprised to see a text from Stacie, although it came in sometime in the middle of the week.

_S: I know Aubrey apologized to you, but I wanted to apologize as well. I thought your improvisation sounded amazing. I spotted the judges’ reactions, and I think they were impressed. Either way, I know you were just trying to help. I should have helped you out, especially since your girlfriend didn’t. For what it’s worth, I know Chloe feels awful about what happened._

Beca simply responded that she accepted her apology and shared about her spring break slot at the radio station. She didn’t know what else to say.

Things had been quiet on Chloe’s part. Beca wasn’t sure whether Chloe was giving her the space she’d asked for, or if she’d ruined things by slamming a door in her face. She felt bad for doing that, but she’d still been hurting so badly. Coffee and donuts weren’t going to fix the problem, especially not only a few hours later.

The most surprising part was that the shower had been silent. She found she missed the duets far more than she thought she would. She found herself wanting to check and see whether it was Chloe’s nodes bothering her, or if she was just too upset to sing. She didn’t like either situation, actually.

Friday morning rolled around, and, by then, Beca had put together several new mixes for her shifts. She’d even managed to create playlists for each night, a few with a theme. She had no idea if Luke planned to listen, but she hoped he caught at least some of it. She’d had another night of lousy sleep. She’d first dreamed that Chloe had apologized to her, and she’d been more than a little disappointed to wake up alone. When she’d gotten her head together, she was especially sad that it had been a dream. She’d so vividly remembered kissing those lips, but none of that had happened. She went back to a fitful sleep, waking with a start. She’d had a nightmare this time. Chloe’s plane had crashed on the way to Portland, and the girl had died before the two of them could reconcile.

She put on a pot of coffee and dragged herself to the shower. Just as she stepped under the water, she heard a familiar voice begin to sing.

 _You gotta go and get angry at all of my honesty  
_ _You know I try but I don't do too well with apologies  
_ _I hope I don't run out of time, could someone call a referee?  
_ _'Cause I just need one more shot at forgiveness_

“No!” called Beca. Chloe knew she disliked Justin Bieber.

 _I know you know that I made those mistakes maybe once or twice  
_ _By once or twice I mean maybe a couple of hundred times  
_ _So let me, oh let me redeem, oh redeem, oh myself tonight  
_ _'Cause I just need one more shot at second chances_

 _Yeah, is it too late now to say sorry?  
_ _'Cause I'm missing more than just your body  
_ _Oh, is it too late now to say sorry?  
_ _Yeah, I know that I let you down  
_ _Is it too late to say I'm sorry now?_

Beca called, “No Bieber!”

Chloe was quiet for the rest of the shower, and Beca immediately felt guilty. Chloe had been trying, hadn’t she? Besides, Beca really didn’t want to be mad at her anymore. Her second dream had put things into perspective. The idea of something happening to her girlfriend before they could reconcile was just too awful to bear.

Once Beca finished her shower and dressed, she was just pouring herself a cup of coffee when she heard a knock at the door.

She looked out the peephole to see Chloe holding a bouquet of flowers. As Beca opened the door, Chloe began to sing.

 _I never meant to cause you any sorrow  
_ _I never meant to cause you any pain  
_ _I only wanted to one time to see you laughing  
_ _I only wanted to see you  
_ _Laughing in the purple rain_

 _Purple rain, purple rain  
_ _Purple rain, purple rain  
_ _Purple rain, purple rain  
_ _I only wanted to see you  
_ _Bathing in the purple rain_

“You know Prince?” asked Beca.

“Have I been living under a rock? Yeah.”

Beca laughed. “Why does this conversation sound familiar?”

“I brought you some flowers. I didn’t even know if you liked flowers, but these are my favorite,” said Chloe, handing the bouquet to Beca.

“Come on in,” said Beca, grabbing a big cup and filling it with water because she didn’t have a vase for the flowers.

“I really am sorry,” said Chloe. “I should have had your back. I’m an idiot. There’s no excuse for what I did, and I hope you can forgive me.”

“This week has been one of the loneliest I’ve had since I joined the Bellas,” said Beca. “I know I made mistakes too. I accept your apology, and I’m sorry I shut the door in your face.”

“I should have given you some more space,” said Chloe.

“Right,” said Beca. “So, can we just agree to move past this?”

“Definitely.”

“I’ve missed you so much,” said Beca.

“I’ve missed you too.”

“But I do have something to tell you. Luke gave me the night shift for Spring Break. So I’ll be staying at Barden. I guess we’ll take a raincheck on that visit?”

“That’s probably a good idea,” said Chloe. “It turns out I’m having nodes surgery that week. My mom told me on Sunday. The season is over, and I’m tired of the pain.”

“I think that’s probably a good idea.”

“Please don’t tell Bree.”

“No danger of that. We’re not exactly talking.”

“She said she apologized,” said Chloe.

“Yeah, she did. But...I’m just not ready to talk to her yet.”

“Okay, that’s fair.”

“Want some coffee and pop-tarts?” asked Beca.

“Sure,” said Chloe.

“Why did you sing a Bieber song to apologize to me?”

Chloe gave a sly grin. “Because I know you hate Bieber. If you hadn’t reacted at all, then I’d know you weren’t ready to talk. It was actually Aubrey’s idea, at least in part.”

“You’re lucky you’re that pretty,” said Beca. “Justin Bieber sucks.”

They caught each other up on what they’d been doing for the past week. Chloe laughed when Beca told her that Luke had asked her out.

“He didn’t know you were gay?” asked Chloe.

“Nope,” she said.

“That’s hilarious!”

“He was really nonchalant about it when I turned him down.”

“That’s Luke,” said Chloe. “I’m so excited for you next week. I’ll try to listen online.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to.”

“Okay,” said Beca. “Hey, could you give me your mom or dad’s contact information? I want to know the minute you’re safely out of surgery.”

Chloe texted her mom’s contact info to Beca.

Once they were done breakfast, it was about time to head to campus for their classes. Beca found her girlfriend climbing into her lap before she could clear her breakfast dishes.

Chloe pushed a lock of Beca’s hair back over her ear, causing the girl to shiver a little. “Can I?” she asked, staring at Beca’s lips.

Beca could barely even nod before Chloe’s lips were on hers. She instantly sighed into the kiss, pulling Chloe close. She’d missed this even more than she’d realized. Kissing Chloe was like coming home.

“I’ve missed this,” Beca murmured when they broke apart.

“Me too,” said Chloe. “Do you have some time to spend together tonight?”

“Yeah,” said Beca. “I’d like that.”

“Why don’t I just bring over some Chinese food? We can watch Netflix, or…”

“Sounds good. Now let’s head to campus. I have some stuff I need to turn in before the break.”

“Me too.”

* * *

_**Chloe** _

Chloe arrived on campus for her classes with a spring in her step and a much lighter heart. A huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders when she’d reconciled with Beca. She hadn’t realized just how much pain she’d been in until it was gone.

She muddled through her classes, her mind wandering to the evening’s plans to spend time with Beca for the first time in nearly a week. They’d rarely gone a day without seeing each other since Bellas’ practice had begun. Between that, being neighbors, and then being girlfriends, Beca had been a constant in her life this school year. She’d been so lonely since their fight.

As soon as her last class was over, she headed back to her apartment, taking some extra time to trim her nails and shave her legs. She’d slacked a bit on maintenance in the past week, and now she wanted to make extra sure she looked nice for Beca.

She texted Beca around 5:30 to make sure the time worked for her and to get her order, and she was at Beca’s with Chinese food an hour later.

“Hey, Chloe,” said Beca, giving her a kiss. “Why are you wearing a dress?”

“I wanted to look extra nice. It feels like it’s been forever.”

“I’m not complaining. It’s cute.”

“Good,” said Chloe, taking her shoes off, and leaving them at the door. She put the bag of food on Beca’s table and put a six-pack of beer in the refrigerator, grabbing one for each of them.

“Thanks,” said Beca. “Just please take whatever’s left with you when you leave.”

“Sure, but why?”

“Oh, right, I didn’t tell you. My mom is going to fly here and stay with me during Spring Break. I’m sure she’s not naive enough to think I don’t ever drink alcohol, but I’m not going to have it in the fridge either.”

“That’s great, Beca. I’m sure you miss her.”

“I do,” said Beca. “I need to pick your brain on something, though.”

“Okay.”

“Jesse’s mad at me. Like, really mad. He acts as though I don’t exist, now. He’d barely been talking to me after regionals, but he hasn’t even looked at me since the semi-finals. I tried apologizing, but, for all I know, he could have blocked my number.”

“I really don’t know,” said Chloe. “Have you talked to Benji?”

“A little. I don’t want to throw him into the middle of this, though.”

“Right. I don’t know right now, but I’ll think about it.”

Beca nodded and the two of them ate their food, Chloe stealing bites of Beca’s food, and Beca pretending to be mad.

“Maybe next time we should just split our orders,” said Beca.

“But swiping the food from you is half the fun!”

Beca rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You’re so weird.”

Once they’d finished their food and put away their dishes, Chloe walked behind Beca and snaked her arms around her waist. “What should we do now?” she asked, already starting to kiss Beca’s neck.

“I have a feeling you already have something in mind.”

“I’ve missed you, Beca. A _lot_.”

“Oh, have you?” asked Beca. Chloe could hear the smirk she knew was on Beca’s face.

She spun Beca around so they were facing each other. “A _whole lot_.”

Chloe’s lips were on Beca’s before she could respond verbally. Beca immediately kissed back, sliding her tongue into Chloe’s mouth. Chloe reached her arms around Beca, squeezing her ass. The moan Beca let out told Chloe that Beca had missed this just as much as she had.

Chloe soon found herself being backed into Beca’s living room. Beca turned them around and sat on the couch, pulling Chloe down into her lap. She soon felt Beca’s hands reach under her dress. Chloe’s hips had already begun to buck as she felt Beca’s fingers going up her inner thigh. She soon felt her underwear being pulled to the side.

“Damn,” said Beca. “You’re so wet.”

“Beca…” Chloe could only whine her girlfriend’s name in response.

“These need to go,” said Beca, pulling at Chloe’s underwear.

Chloe stood up, yanked them down and kicked them off. She sat back down on Beca’s lap, gasping as Beca ran her fingers through her folds again. She began to rub circles into her clit, and Chloe came in record time.

“You don’t need to look so smug,” said Chloe.

“I think that’s the fastest I’ve gotten you to come,” she said.

“I haven’t come in a week!”

“Same for me,” said Beca.

“Sounds like I’ll have to fix that,” said Chloe. She stood up, took Beca’s hand, and headed to the bedroom, both of them removing each other’s clothing as they headed down the hall.

“That’s quite the trail of clothing,” said Beca.

“Sign of a good time.” She threw back the covers and lay Beca down. She massaged Beca’s breast and took one in her mouth while moving her other hand down to Beca’s clit. She had Beca screaming her name, both hands tangled in her hair in record time.

“So, who won?” asked Chloe.

“Let’s call it a tie,” said Beca.

They spent the evening intertwined, screaming each other’s names, fists in sheets. As the night went on, things slowed down, focusing more on connecting with each other than simply getting off. Chloe glanced at the clock on Beca’s nightstand once they’d stopped.

“Damn,” said Chloe.

“Hmm?”

“Looks like we’ve been having sex for a good two hours.”

“Nice,” said Beca. “I don’t know about you, but I think I needed that.”

“Me too,” said Chloe, pulling Beca closer to her. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

The two of them drifted off to sleep, Chloe feeling far more relaxed than she had since the debacle that was the semi-finals.

* * *

_**Beca** _

Beca woke up to Chloe’s cell phone alarm and a kiss on her bare shoulder from the woman spooning her. It was the most rested she’d felt in a week.

“What time does your flight leave?” she asked.

“Two,” said Chloe.

“Want to go out to breakfast?” asked Beca. “All I have here are pop-tarts. And I think I have some cereal, but it might be stale.”

“Breakfast out sounds great.”

“Are you packed?”

“Yeah,” said Chloe. “I figure I’ll be spending most of the week recovering from my surgery, so I mostly packed pajamas.”

“Will you have to stay in the hospital overnight?”

“Not unless there are complications.”

“Good,” said Beca.

The two of them got into the shower, and Beca was the first to sing this time.

 _Honey honey  
_ _I can see the stars all the way from here  
_ _Can't you see the glow on the windowpane  
_ _I can feel the sun whenever you're near  
_ _Every time you touch me I just melt away_

Chloe joined in immediately.

 _Now everybody ask me why I'm smiling out from ear to ear  
_ _(They say love hurts)  
_ _But I know (it's gonna take the real work)  
_ _Nothing's perfect but it's worth it  
_ _After fighting through my tears and finally you put me first_

 _Baby, it's you  
_ _You're the one I love  
_ _You're the one I need  
_ _You're the only one I see  
_ _Come on, baby, it's you  
_ _You're the one that gives your all  
_ _You're the one I can always call  
_ _When I need to make everything stop  
_ _Finally, you put my love on top_

 _Ooh come on, baby  
_ _You put my love on top top top top top  
_ _You put my love on top  
_ _Ooh ooh  
_ _Come on, baby  
_ _You put my love on top top top top top  
_ _You put my love on top  
_ _My love on top_

Beca began the next verse.

 _Baby I can feel the wind whipping past my face  
_ _As we dance the night away_

Chloe took over, slightly changing the lyrics.

 _Girl, your lips taste like a night of champagne  
_ _As I kiss you again and again and again and again_

They continued the song, Beca being backed against the shower wall just as it ended. Chloe’s lips were on hers before she could even ask what was going on.

When they finally came up for air, Chloe whispered, “That’s another one of my lady jams.”

Chloe was on her knees, putting Beca’s right leg over her shoulder before Beca could even respond. She moaned the instant that Chloe’s tongue touched her clit. Chloe worked fast and Beca came quickly, a stream of curses flowing out of her mouth.

She smiled when Chloe stood back up to kiss her. “It’s _your_ lady jam, but I’m the one who just came? Interesting.”

“You could fix that,” said Chloe, winking.

She didn’t have to tell Beca twice. She turned them so that Chloe was back against the shower wall this time. She kissed her hard and put her hand between Chloe’s legs. She slid her fingers inside with ease as she felt Chloe spread her legs. She pumped her fingers while Chloe moaned the words “harder” and “faster” mixed with Beca’s name before her body went rigid as she came.

“Remind me to sing that one again later,” Beca said as she gently took her fingers out of her girlfriend.

“Definitely,” said Chloe as she kissed Beca again.

“Okay, we really need to get clean or we won’t have time for breakfast.”

“I thought that _was_ breakfast,” said Chloe.

Beca rolled her eyes before laughing at the inappropriate comment. “It’s like talking to some of my friends in high school all over again. Well, except none of those jokes were from someone as hot as you.”

“And hopefully nobody who was sharing your shower.”

Beca shook her head and passed Chloe a washcloth.

As they were getting dressed, Beca asked, “Do you want me to make you some hot tea?”

“No, I’m okay,” said Chloe, gently touching her neck. “I can’t wait to get rid of these nodes, though.”

“Will you still be able to sing?”

“I think so, or, at least, I hope so. I know the doctor said something about vocal therapy, so I guess I’m going to do that.”

“You should. I know how much you love to sing, and I’d hate for you to get nodes again.”

They headed to breakfast, and they had a nice, long conversation over the meal. Beca opened up about her childhood.

“I’m not sure my parents did their best handling the divorce. I told you I don’t remember them being happy. They fought all of the time, and then my dad traveled for work a lot. I remember hearing Sheila’s name a lot, and my mom yelling about lipstick and perfume. I was too young to understand that my mom had essentially caught my dad red-handed. It wasn’t much after the business trips happened that they separated. He initially had an apartment near our house, but it wasn’t long before he moved across the country.”

“You were eight?”

“I was seven when they separated. The divorce was final shortly after I turned eight. I think he was across the country by then, but that was a long time ago. Sheila tried to be the ‘fun stepmom’ but I wasn’t having it.”

“What did she do?”

“She bought me Barbie dolls, and My Little Pony stuff, not realizing that I didn’t like either of those things. I was way more into Legos.”

Chloe laughed.

Beca continued. “I didn’t spend a lot of time here in Atlanta, though. I had either Thanksgiving or Christmas here, depending on the year, plus a week in the summer. My dad would come up to Seattle and visit sometimes, but it didn’t happen all that much. I actually spend a fair amount of time in New York, though. My Gram - Dad’s mom - lives there, and I visited her a lot. I even - I...went there a lot, even with my mom after the divorce. Gram really likes my mom and I think a part of her is pissed about the affair.”

Beca couldn’t believe she’d nearly slipped and told Chloe she’d lived with her Gram for her entire seventh-grade year. She didn’t know how to talk about her brief stint on Broadway without seeming like she was bragging.

“That’s cool,” said Chloe. “I wish we’d been able to go to the finals. I didn’t get to see New York last year. The day the Bellas were touring the city, I stayed in the hotel room with Aubrey. She was so upset.”

“Maybe we can go visit my Gram sometime,” said Beca.

“I’d like that.”

“Tell me more about life with four older brothers.”

“Well, the oldest one - Dave - was in his senior year of high school when I was in kindergarten. So, he was off to college when I was in first grade. I hardly remember living with him. I do know that sometimes he picked me up from school and the other kids thought he was so cool. I was the only kid with an older sibling with a car and a driver’s license.”

“That’s insane.”

“I don’t think I realized my family was all that different until probably my kindergarten year. My parents had us all spaced about three years apart, so, the year I was in kindergarten, my brothers were in third, sixth, ninth, and twelfth grades.”

“So, who’s who again?” asked Beca.

Chloe pulled out a picture on her phone. “We took this on Christmas at my mom’s,” she said. She showed Beca a picture of herself with four men - everyone in a different “ugly Christmas sweater”. Not only was Chloe the shortest, but she was also the only redhead. They all had the same blue eyes and smile, though.

“Okay, we actually stood in birth order this time. Dave is all the way to the left,” she said, pointing to one of the blonde men. “Next to Dave is Danny, and then Steven. Chris is next to me.” Danny was blonde like Dave, while Steven and Chris both had dark brown hair. They all had at least six inches of height on their sister, from what Beca could tell.

“That’s quite a group. I can’t believe you’re the only redhead.”

“My dad has red hair,” said Chloe. She flipped through her phone and showed Beca a picture.

“Wow, no mix-up at the hospital.”

“Yeah,” said Chloe. “Anyway, I definitely got away with a lot as the youngest and only girl. I didn’t have hand-me-downs, for the most part. I got all the girly toys my family could buy, and, as I told you before, I practically had four bodyguards by the time I was old enough to date.”

“Wow,” said Beca.

“It’s probably why my parents put me in dance when I was little. I even competed for a few years before deciding it wasn’t for me. I liked to dance, but the competition circuit can be a pain in the ass.”

“Which is why you can twist my hair up like that so quickly.”

“Well, yes, I suppose. But, I really have always been good with hair. I used to help the younger kids back when I was in high school. I have no earthly idea why my teacher let five-year-olds on the dance competition team, but I guess it was because their parents would pay the money.”

“When did you compete?”

“I was ten for my first competition. I think it’s a good age. I was young enough to not be ridiculously nervous but old enough to appreciate the opportunity.”

“Tell me there are videos of this,” said Beca.

“My mom has some videos of the recitals. Most of the competitions charged a pretty penny for a copy of the video, so we never bought them. I did the same dances, though, in the recital.”

“I bet you were adorable.”

Chloe shrugged. “So, what about you? What haven’t you told me?”

Beca felt her stomach do flips. Did Chloe know about her time in _High Society_? Beca decided she wasn’t up for discussing that.

“I don’t know,” said Beca. “My parents tried a lot of different activities with me when I was younger. I took dance, but only for a year. They tried sports, but I’m so not athletic. They tried karate, but I was the only girl and so much smaller than the other kids. My mom took a look at the kids my age and told my dad she wasn’t letting them kick my ass. They wanted me to take piano lessons, but I think their divorce lawyers took the money they probably would have spent on those.”

“Ouch.”

“I had one lesson, and I liked it, but I didn’t even touch a piano again until high school. It was an elective my senior year.”

“Can you play it?”

“Not really. I know some basics - like which key is which and how to read music. But I never got the hang of two-handed playing or anything.”

“So, what did you do in high school?”

“I was in choir, and-”

“You told Aubrey and me you didn’t sing,” said Chloe.

“We’ve long since established that was a lie. I was just...I don’t really even know why I said that.”

“Okay, so, choir, and…?”

“I was part of the stage crew in high school. For one show. I realized the group didn’t do much except smoke pot and make perverted jokes. Pot wasn’t for me, and even _I_ can only handle so much inappropriate humor.”

“So, they didn’t do any stage stuff?”

“We did, but not really until tech week for the show. The ‘meetings’ were an excuse to smoke pot and make perverted jokes. And sometimes drink, although that didn’t happen more than maybe twice. We had a meeting at the supervising teacher’s house and he gave it to us.”

Chloe’s eyes widened.

“I’m sure I don’t need to tell you the rebellious teacher was my favorite.”

Chloe laughed. They spent the rest of the breakfast enjoying each other’s company, and Beca went ahead and gave her a ride to the airport, insisting that the parking was way too expensive. Once they’d parted ways, Beca headed back to her place, cleaned it, and bought groceries. She didn’t want her mother worrying too much about how she’d been doing on her own.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the well wishes. My daughter has been released from quarantine as of this morning, and the rest of the family has not been infected. Thanks a bunch to [22_Ti](https://archiveofourown.org/users/22_Ti) for your help with this chapter!

_**Beca**_

Beca picked her mother up at the airport the next day.

“Let me look at you!” the older woman exclaimed, giving her daughter a once-over.

“Mom, I’m fine,” said Beca.

“Are you eating enough?”

“Yes, Mom.”

“Are you warm enough? You’re not wearing a jacket!” she exclaimed.

“It’s sixty-five degrees, Mom. I’m fine.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop fussing.”

“It’s all right, Mom. Do you need to get your bags?”

“No,” she replied, gesturing to the tiny suitcase she’d been rolling behind her. “I carried on.”

“Then, let’s go,” said Beca.

Beca finally told her mother about the disaster than had been her last a cappella competition on the ride to her apartment.

“I’m sorry, honey,” she said. “But, you patched things up with Chloe?”

“Yeah. I know we both made mistakes, and I didn’t want to leave things unresolved before the break. I mean, what if her plane crashes? Or she dies in surgery or something?”

“That’s awfully morbid.”

“I know that. Either way, I’d feel awful if my last memory of her is when I slammed the door in her face.”

“Well, I’m glad you two are okay. I do hope I get to meet her sometime.”

“Me too.”

They pulled up to the apartment, and then Beca gave her mother a tour of the place. She wasn’t the least bit surprised when her mother began to open her kitchen cabinets.

“Sweetheart, what do you eat for breakfast?”

“I usually just grab some pop-tarts.”

“But, you don’t have a toaster.”

Beca shrugged. “I just eat them cold.” She left out the fact that she usually just ate them in the car on her way to school when she saw the horrified look on her mother’s face.

“This won’t do,” said her mother. “And you don’t have a vase for those flowers, either. What else are you missing?”

“What?”

Her mother began to go through the cabinets again. “I really should have flown out here with you. That is a _lot_ of Easy Mac.”

“You know how much I love my mac and cheese.”

“Why do you have so much tea? Is that your new thing?” she asked.

“No, Mom. I’ve been fixing it for Chloe for her nodes.”

“Oh, right. That’s what she’s having surgery to fix?”

“Yes.”

She opened the refrigerator, examining the contents. “Beca, this ketchup is expired.”

“Really? I didn’t think that stuff _ever_ expired.”

“We need to go shopping,” said her mom. “Is there a Walmart near here?”

“Mom, this is Atlanta, not the middle of nowhere. Yes, we have Walmart.”

Beca drove them to the nearest Walmart. Her mother took her through the grocery section and bought her some food items that she “just couldn’t believe” Beca didn’t have in her apartment.

“I really should have taught you how to cook,” she said.

“Seriously, Mom. I’m fine. Stop fussing over me.”

“It’s my job to fuss over you.”

They headed to the housewares section and her mother made a point of carefully looking over the different toasters.

“Do you want a toaster or a toaster oven?” she asked.

“I don’t care,” said Beca.

“Well, I saw you don’t have much counter space,” she said. “So, I think this one is your best option.” She proudly held up a toaster. It didn’t look any different from any of the other toasters to Beca, but she wasn’t going to argue with the woman.

“Sure, Mom,” she said.

“Let’s see,” she said. “You don’t have a roasting pan.”

“Mom, I live alone. Why would I roast a chicken for just me?”

“What about when Chloe comes over?”

“I don’t know, Mom. We usually get takeout.”

“Okay, no roasting pan. Do you need anything else?”

“I promise I’m fine, Mom. You know I’ve been on my own for more than six months, don’t you?”

Beca’s mom smiled. “I know. I just miss fussing over you. Maybe I can show you how to cook this week?”

“Sure,” she said, smiling back. “That would be great.”

They went through the checkout line, her mother insisting on paying. She’d even gently smacked Beca’s hand away when she went for her wallet.

They got back to the apartment, and her mother made a point of showing her how the toaster worked.

“Mom, stop,” said Beca. “I know how to use a toaster. You put the bread or pop-tarts here, slide the lever down...it’s not rocket science.”

“Right, of course,” said her mom. “Now that I’ve fixed your kitchen, what should we do?”

Beca suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at her mother. Her kitchen had been just fine, but she supposed she might enjoy having warm pop-tarts on occasion. The flowers Chloe had given her did look nicer in the vase her mother had chosen than they had in the cup.

“I don’t know, Mom. It’s up to you.”

“What is there to do here in Atlanta?”

“Visit my dad and homophobic stepmonster,” said Beca.

“Not funny.”

“I can show you around Barden.”

“I’d like that,” said her mom.

They drove over to Barden. It was Sunday, and Spring Break had already officially started. Most of the campus was deserted. However, Beca’s mom seemed genuinely interested in all of the buildings Beca showed her.

“I have Bellas practice in the auditorium in this building. Well, I did, but…”

“The season is over, anyway, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Then you figure it out next year. Have you decided whether or not you’re going to stay in college after this year?”

Beca shook her head.

“You don’t need to figure that out right now, either.”

“Thanks, Mom,” she said. She continued around campus, pointing out the dining hall as well as the building that housed the radio station.

“Are you sure you’re safe going to campus alone at night?”

“Yes, Mom. I can park right there,” she said, gesturing to the parking lot next to the building. “I have a key and I’m going to lock myself in.”

“I suppose that’s safe enough.”

“I’m fine. I promise. Nobody’s here, anyway. The shifts before and after mine are two-hour blocks of automated programming.”

“Okay,” she said.

They went back to Beca’s apartment after the tour. Beca’s mom made her some dinner while she relaxed. Beca had offered to help, but her mother told her she needed to rest before her shift at the station. She’d tried to get Beca to take a nap, but Beca had insisted that she wasn’t going to be able to fall asleep.

After her mother had made her signature meatloaf and mashed potatoes, she pulled a box out of her suitcase. “Look what I brought you for dessert!”

In the box was one of Beca’s favorite [treats](https://www.piroshkybakery.com/) from back home. “A cranberry-apple roll! Thanks, Mom!”

Beca and her mom watched some television for a while before she had to head to the radio station. She’d assured her mom multiple times that she was fine and would text her when she’d arrived safely.

* * *

Beca sat in the booth at the station, grinning as she slipped on the headphones. Her first thought was that she could get used to this.

She put her flash drive into the radio station laptop, and, at 11 pm on the dot, she turned off the automated programming.

“Happy Spring Break, Barden University. This is Beca Mitchell, your host for the night shift. I thought we’d throw it back to the 90’s tonight.”

She wasn’t sure what else to say, so she started her playlist. She checked to make sure she was following the guide Luke had left for her. She had to run specific ads at specific times, so she made a few adjustments for time.

When her time was up, she spoke again. “So, Barden, I hope you liked what you heard. I’m here all week. Listen again at 11 pm to see what I have for you. This is Beca Mitchell, signing off.”

She ran the automated programming, grabbed her things, and headed back. She was a little surprised to find her mother up and waiting for her.

“You sounded great, Beca,” she said.

“You listened?”

“As much as I could. I may have nodded off a little a few times.”

“So, you really liked it?”

“I always love your music. What’s tomorrow, or, well, I guess, tonight’s theme?”

“Famous duets,” Beca answered.

“Good choice. Are you ready to get some sleep?”

Beca yawned.

“I guess I have my answer.”

Beca fell asleep pretty quickly, exhausted from the adrenaline rush of being in the booth for the first time.

* * *

_**Chloe** _

Chloe got off of the plane, thrilled to see her father waiting for her at the baggage claim.

“Daddy!” she called.

“Hey, there!” He wrapped his daughter in a hug.

He insisted on carrying his daughter’s suitcase as they walked to his car.

“So, how have you been? How is your girlfriend?”

“I’m okay, besides the nodes. Beca and I are great.”

“You two made up?”

“Yes,” she said. “She even drove me to the airport today.”

“That’s nice,” he said. “Are you hungry for lunch?”

“I could eat,” she said.

She texted her mom, her girlfriend, and her best friend to let them know she’d arrived safely. Her dad took her to their favorite restaurant, a locally-owned Mexican place.

Chloe caught up with her dad over tacos. The last time she’d spoken to him was the day that had started with Beca slamming a door in her face. She told him all about her creative plan to get Beca back, leaving out the details about the mind-blowing makeup sex that had occurred afterward.

“I’m happy for you two,” he said. “It’s a real shame about semifinals, though.”

“Thanks.”

Chloe’s dad showed her a picture of his new girlfriend. She suppressed the urge to tell him that she reminded her a lot of her mother, just as had every woman he’d dated. He definitely had a type.

“Pretty,” she said. “What’s her name?”

“Lisa.”

“Do I get to meet her anytime soon?”

“That’s up to you. I planned to just spend time with you for the next couple of days.”

“I’d like to meet her,” said Chloe.

“I’ll call her after we get home to make plans.”

“Great.”

They shared some small talk for the rest of their lunch, and then they headed back.

Chloe unpacked the few things she’d need for the next few days and relaxed on her bed. She took a little time to text her girlfriend.

 _C: I miss you already  
_ _B: Cheeseball  
_ _B: But I miss you too  
_ _C: What are you doing?  
_ _B: Cleaning my apartment  
_ _C: LOL worried about your mom?  
_ _B: Yes_

When Chloe came out of her room, her dad told her he had arranged to have his girlfriend over for dinner.

Chloe helped her father cook dinner, and the doorbell rang just as she’d put the baked ziti in the oven. Her dad answered the door and gave the woman a quick peck on the lips.

“Come on in, Lisa,” he said. “Dinner should be ready soon. This is my youngest, Chloe.”

“Hi,” said Chloe, shaking the woman’s hand.

“Hi,” she said. “Your dad tells me you’re back for Spring Break?”

“Yes.”

“And you go to Barden University?”

“You did your homework,” said Chloe.

“It’s a little tricky keeping up with five adult children, four wives, and nine grandchildren. I think I have everyone figured out now.”

“We can be a bit much.” Chloe took the ziti out of the oven and put salad and rolls on the table.

“What is your major?”

“Literature,” said Chloe.

“So, English?”

“No. It’s literature of all kinds. I’ve had courses in American Literature, Child and Adolescent Literature, and right now I’m taking Russian Literature and Southeast Asian Literature.”

“I didn’t know there was a difference. It sounds interesting.”

“It is. Each culture is a little different, and, of course, literature aimed at children and adolescents are very different.”

“I see.”

Chloe learned more about Lisa over the meal. She was a gynecologist at the hospital where Chloe and her brothers were born. She was divorced, but she’d never had children of her own.

“Your father tells me you’re part of a singing group,” she said.

“Yeah, I’m the co-captain of the Barden Bellas. We’re the only all-female a cappella singing group at Barden. We made it all the way to Nationals last year, but we didn’t qualify this year.”

“That’s too bad.”

“I met my girlfriend through the group this year. And, the upside to the season ending early is that I’m finally having surgery on my nodes.”

“Nodes?”

“Vocal nodules.”

“Right,” said Lisa. “Not my area of expertise. Tell me about your girlfriend.”

Chloe pulled out a picture of Beca and showed Lisa. “She’s a freshman and she has this amazing singing voice. She’s going to do great things someday. I just know it.”

“You two look very happy,” she said.

Chloe excused herself to her room after dinner to give her dad and his girlfriend some space.

* * *

_**Beca** _

Beca and her mom awoke around noon on Monday. Beca took her to the Georgia Aquarium, and then her mother insisted on giving her a cooking lesson when they got home. Beca finally reminded her mother that she was aware the stove was hot after the woman had warned her for the fifth time to be careful.

Beca and her mother sat down to spaghetti, and it reminded Beca of the time Jesse had made spaghetti for her back when she’d first started at Barden.

“What’s wrong?” asked Beca’s mom.

“What?”

“Beca, I know that face. Something is bothering you. Are you and Chloe _really_ okay?”

“It’s not Chloe, Mom. She and I are fine. She’s been texting me the whole break. She’s at her dad’s right now and having a good time with him. She’ll go to her mom’s tonight, and her surgery is tomorrow”

“Then…”

Beca told her mom about Jesse. “So, ever since then, he won’t talk to me. I apologized, but he completely ignores me now. I really don’t know what to do. I miss our friendship.”

“You might just have to give him some time.”

“I miss him. The radio station is boring when he won’t talk to me. Okay, it’s not boring this week, but I’m sure I’ll go back to stacking discs and vinyls next week.”

“I’m sure you’ll come up with something.”

That night, Beca introduced the night’s theme and started her playlist. She found herself wandering around the booth. She looked at the stack of CD’s and something caught her eye. It was the soundtrack for _The Breakfast Club_. She looked at the disc and then remembered she’d never returned the movie to Jesse. Maybe she’d just go ahead and watch the whole thing with her mom when she got home.

Beca signed off and headed back to her place. Her mom had already gone to bed, so she opened her laptop, loaded the DVD, and put her headphones on so she wouldn’t disturb her mother.

She was so engrossed in the movie, she didn’t hear her mom walk into her living room just as it was ending. It had moved her to tears, and her mother walked over to her.

“Beca? Why are you crying?”

Beca wiped the tears away. “Okay, okay. I was watching _The Breakfast Club_. Jesse left it here after showing me the ending. I get it.”

“So that’s why you hadn’t come to bed yet. I woke up and I was a little worried. I wanted to stay up and listen to your show, but I got tired around 2 and had to go to bed.”

“I’m okay, Mom. Let’s head to bed.”

* * *

Beca woke up alone at around 2 pm. She got up and headed to the kitchen for something to eat.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” said her mom.

“Hi, Mom. What are you doing?”

The woman was sitting on Beca’s couch with her own laptop open. “I was thinking more about the Jesse situation. It’s raining out today anyway. The public library has some of the movies you told me he likes. I thought we could borrow a few and just relax and watch them for a while today. What do you say?”

“Sounds good.”

“Do you have a library card for the system in Atlanta?”

“No.”

“Well, then, we need to fix that.”

Beca and her mother headed to the nearest branch of the library. Beca applied for a card, her mother explaining that Beca lived there during the school year, even though her driver’s license was from the state of Washington.

They grabbed a few movies, thanked the librarian, and headed back to the apartment.

“What should we watch first?” asked her mother.

“ _E.T._ , maybe?” asked Beca. “Oh, wait, before that, I need to text Chloe’s mom and check on her.”

Beca texted Chloe’s mom, and she was pleased to learn that Chloe had just come out of surgery. She was okay, but the doctor had wanted to keep her overnight. Her nodes had been much worse than originally anticipated, probably due to her refusal to stop singing.

“Beca, get an address. We should send her flowers,” said her mom.

Beca thanked Chloe’s mom and got the hospital address.

“Mom, do you know what kind of flowers those are?” Beca asked, pointing to the vase of flowers on her kitchen table.

“Those are lilies.”

“Let’s send those. They’re her favorite.”

Beca’s mom insisted they call a florist in Portland to make sure she got the flowers right away.

Once they ordered the flowers, Beca and her mother sat down to watch the movie.

* * *

_**Aubrey** _

Aubrey was at the gym on Wednesday morning of Spring Break, not wanting to break her workout regimen, even after the a cappella season had ended. She was doing leg extensions on a yoga mat while reading a textbook when her phone rang. She tapped her Bluetooth headset.

“This is Aubrey Posen,” she said.

“Ms. Posen, this is John Smith of the International Collegiate A Cappella Association. It has come to our attention that Timothy Nelson, the lead singer of the Footnotes, is not enrolled in college. They have been disqualified. We would like to invite the Barden Bellas to compete in the ICCA Finals. Do you accept our invitation?” he asked.

“Yes. Thank you, sir. I look forward to seeing you again at Lincoln Center,” Aubrey replied.

Aubrey couldn’t contain her excitement any longer when she hung up. She screamed, “Yes!” while continuing her exercises with vigor.

She immediately texted Chloe.

_AP: ICCA called. Footnotes have been disqualified. Lead singer is not enrolled in college. Bellas are in! I’ll contact the others. I’m holding practice at 2 pm on Sunday. Everyone should be back by then._

She called or texted the others, save for Beca. She’d made it clear she was done with the group, and she wasn’t going to have her mess up her chance for redemption. She was glad to hear everyone was just as thrilled as she was to be going to the finals.

* * *

_**Chloe** _

Chloe woke up from her surgery on Tuesday with her mother at her side. Her mother immediately shushed her when she opened her mouth to speak.

“Hi, sweetheart,” she said. “Don’t talk. The doctor said everything went well. They’re keeping you overnight, though.” She handed Chloe a pen and notepad when she tried to speak again.

 _Why?_ Chloe wrote.

“The nodes were worse than he thought.”

Chloe made a sad face.

“Cheer up. Look what came in for you just now!” Her mother held up a small arrangement of lilies in a simple, clear vase.

Chloe grabbed the card and smiled when she saw they were from Beca. She pointed to the card and showed her mother.

“I saw,” she said. There were flowers from her father, her grandparents, and several cards from her brothers. Her mother had arranged all of them on a small table near her bed.

“Do you want to watch something on television?” she asked. Chloe shook her head.

“Do you want your iPod?” Chloe nodded. Her mother passed it over with the earbuds attached. Chloe was glad she’d brought it. It held more music and had a far better battery life than her phone.

Chloe was allowed to try and eat some dinner after a while. Chloe managed to down the hospital food, even though it was pretty bland.

 _Can you sneak me a burger?_ She wrote on the notepad when her brother Steven was visiting.

“I’ll try,” said Steven, chuckling.

Chloe didn’t get a lot of sleep in the hospital bed that night. Between monitors beeping, nurses coming in to check her vitals all hours of the night, and the pain in her throat, she probably managed a total of four hours that night.

* * *

Wednesday morning, she’d asked her mother to let her rest for a while. She put her earbuds in and played one of the playlists Beca had made her for relaxation. She lay her head back on the pillow, trying in vain to get just a little more sleep.

She was a little surprised to hear her phone’s text message notification ringing. She gasped when she saw that Aubrey had texted to let her know that the Footnotes had been disqualified. Chloe wanted to scream, but she remembered she had to rest her voice. She instead began excitedly tapping on the tray on her hospital bed.

The heart rate and blood pressure monitor began to screech, and a team of nurses came into her room to see what was wrong. Chloe shoved their hands off of her and held up her phone, figuring they’d see Aubrey’s text and understand why she was so excited. She finally grabbed her notepad and wrote. _I’m fine. I got really good news!_ The nurses shook their heads and insisted that they check her vitals again.

They finally left her room after a few minutes when her heart rate and blood pressure returned to normal.

Chloe thought for a moment and decided to text Beca. She knew Beca hadn’t quite forgiven Aubrey, but she felt like she deserved to know. She also knew it was highly unlikely that Aubrey would have reached out to her. While Aubrey may not realize it, they really needed Beca. She just hoped Beca would agree to come back and that Aubrey would let her.

* * *

_**Beca** _

It was Wednesday, and Beca and her mom were going through another one of the movies they’d borrowed when she got a text from Chloe.

_C: Good news! The Bellas have made it into the finals. The lead singer of the Footnotes wasn’t enrolled in college. I know you said you were done with the group, but practice is at 2:00 on Sunday. I’d love it if you reconsidered. I think you make us better._

A smile came to Beca’s face.

“What is it?” her mom asked.

“Chloe texted me. The Bellas got into the finals. On a technicality, but they’re in,” said Beca, her smile falling. “But, I don’t know what to do. I left, and I told them I quit. And Aubrey apologized, but I think she still hates me.”

“When do you need to decide?”

“Not right now. Practice is on Sunday afternoon.”

“You have time to think.”

“Okay,” said Beca. She texted Chloe.

 _B: That’s really cool. I’ll think about it. Hope you’re feeling good.  
_ _C: Yeah. I might have set off my monitors and scared a few nurses, though.  
_ _B: ?  
_ _C: I guess I got a little excited when I saw Aubrey’s text.  
_ _B: Only you...😂_

Beca went back to watching the movie with her mother. It gave her an idea for a theme for the night. She’d originally planned something more abstract, but she thought a mash-up of classic movie hits might be fun. Once the movie was over, she took her laptop over to her desk, put her headphones on, and began to work.

She played the music for her mother when she was done. Her mom smiled and shook her head.

“What?” she asked.

“I never thought I’d see the day you’d voluntarily watch a movie, much less several in a day, and I never thought you’d choose a movie theme when you told me you were going to take the night shift at the radio station.”

“I guess movies aren’t so bad when you give them a chance,” said Beca.

Beca tried sending Jesse another text, knowing it was likely in vain.

_B: Hey, hope you’re having a good break. I watched The Breakfast Club. I get it. I’ll give you back your DVD when you come back._

She waited a few minutes, trying not to get too upset when she didn’t receive a response.

Beca’s mom could see her disappointment. “Hey, he’ll come around, okay?”

“I don’t know,” said Beca.

“Let’s get out of the apartment today,” said her mom. She pulled up a page where she’d done a search on unique things to do in Atlanta. They chose a few things to try, and the distraction was enough to take Beca’s mind off of the conflict with Jesse and her indecision as to whether or not to try to come back to the Bellas.

* * *

One night over “breakfast for dinner” (and another cooking lesson for Beca, who now knew how to make pancakes and french toast), Beca asked her mom a question to which she’d always wanted the answer.

“Mom, were you and Dad ever happy?”

“What?”

“I’m asking because...I don’t remember you being happy. I know that’s awful, but all I remember is the fighting.”

Her mother looked at her for a few beats before replying. “We were, but you were too little to remember. We’d been together for years before we got married. It was the next logical step. Our marriage didn’t work. Two years into the marriage, we thought that having a baby would make us happy. And, it worked for about six months. The bickering started again, and then we were back to our old habits. Your father worked too late, and I had a bad habit of staying out too late drinking with my friends.”

“I don’t remember any of that. I just remember you two yelling a lot, and I’d go to my room and cover my ears.”

“I know you did. And I’m really sorry you had to witness that. We tried to make things work. We went to counseling, and even that didn’t help us.”

“I thought Dad cheated on you.”

“He did, but, really, our marriage had been over long before that happened. I think your father wanted me to catch him. He actually tossed me the shirt he’d been wearing when he was with her. He’d asked me to put it in the laundry, hoping I’d see the lipstick on the collar and smell the other woman’s perfume.”

“Why didn’t he just end things if you were that unhappy?”

“It’s complicated. I could have done the same thing, you know,” said her mom.

“Do you regret it?”

“Marrying your dad? Having you?” she asked.

“Both? I don’t know,” said Beca.

“I could never, ever regret having you. Being your mom is the best thing I’ve ever done and probably ever will do. And, had I married someone else, you wouldn’t be the same person. You’re a product of both of us.”

“Why haven’t you dated anyone?”

“What makes you think I haven’t?” asked her mom.

“You’ve never introduced me to anyone.”

“I haven’t met anyone I was ready to introduce to the most important person in my life.”

“Oh,” said Beca. “So...are you…?”

“Seeing anyone?” asked her mom. Beca nodded. “No. But I’m on Tinder.”

“Gross, Mom! Aren’t you too old?”

“Rebecca Joan Mitchell, I am _not_ too old!” said her mother in mock offense.

Beca laughed. “Okay, okay. Just...don’t be afraid to introduce me to someone. I’m an adult. I can handle my mom having a boyfriend.”

“Or girlfriend…”

“You’re…? What?”

“I’m gay, sweetheart. You come by it honestly.”

“Which is one of the reasons you and Dad didn’t work.”

“One of them,” she said, laughing.

“Why didn’t you tell me when I came out to you?” asked Beca.

“I only came to terms with it about a year ago,” said her mom. “Now, pass me the syrup before my pancakes get cold.”

“A year ago, Mom?”

“I grew up in a different time than you did. Almost nobody was openly gay, bi, or anything other than straight.”

Beca gestured to her to continue.

“You remember, Miss Sally, don’t you?”

“You mean our neighbor at the old house? The one who used to take us to her beach house?”

“That’s the one. Let’s just say we became really good friends. More than friends--”

“Stop! I don’t need to know any more about you and Miss Sally!”

“Wait, no. Maybe it was that video I watched on Porn Hub!”

“Mom! Gross! You’re going to make me lose my appetite!!!” Beca exclaimed.

Her mom just laughed. “Just messing with you... or, am I?” she said, winking.

“It’s not like I tell you about…” Beca clapped her hand over her mouth. “Never mind.”

“The syrup, Beca? I don’t want to have to reheat these pancakes!”

Beca shook her head and passed the syrup.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Chloe** _

Chloe smiled as she walked into the rehearsal room on Sunday. She’d just gotten off of the plane and had taken an Uber to her apartment. She’d dropped her bags there and headed directly to campus. She was a little late, but it wasn’t her fault her flight had been delayed. The group was excitedly cheering as Aubrey handed out papers.

“The aca-gods have looked down on us, and they have given us a second chance,” said Aubrey.

“Shalom!” Fat Amy exclaimed.

“I texted Beca,” said Chloe after quickly scanning the bleachers to see if Beca was there.

“You did what?!” Aubrey asked.

“She makes us better.”

“That’s not an opinion for you to have, Chloe.”

“Why? Because it’s not yours? You’re not always right, you know,” said Chloe, proud of herself for finally standing up to Aubrey. She was disappointed that Beca hadn’t been there to see her. She supposed her girlfriend had made her choice.

“We will win without her,” said Aubrey.

Chloe wished Beca had come to the rehearsal to ask for her spot, but even she couldn’t argue when Beca wasn’t even there.

“Places, everyone!” called Aubrey, clapping her hands.

The group practiced nearly non-stop for an hour before Aubrey stopped in frustration and lashed out at the group.

“Okay, stop,” said Aubrey. “What is happening to us? Chloe, you sound like you smoke three packs a day. Stacie, you’re so behind on the choreography. And Jessica and Ashley, it’s like you haven’t even been around all year!”

“Aubrey, really?” asked Jessica.

“We’ve literally been here the whole time,” said Ashley.

“Aubrey, please, just give us a break. It’s kind of not the same without everyone here,” said Fat Amy.

“We need Beca,” said Cynthia Rose.

“Maybe if Aubrey loosened the reins a little bit--” Chloe began.

“Okay, shut it, Chloe!”

“Whoa,” said Stacie.

“Oh, I’m sorry. That was rude,” said Aubrey. “Chloe, could you please get your head out of your ass? It’s not a hat.”

“Aca-awkward,” said Fat Amy.

Aubrey clapped her hands and exclaimed, “Again!”

Chloe noticed the sad faces of the group as they half-heartedly started the routine.

* * *

_**Beca** _

Beca dropped her mom off at the airport on Sunday and headed back to her apartment. She was still trying to decide whether or not to go to practice and ask Aubrey to take her back. She saw Jesse’s car in the parking lot, so she grabbed his copy of _The Breakfast Club_ and headed up to his place, figuring he’d at least open his door to get his movie back.

Beca knocked on his door. “Jesse, I know you’re in there. I can smell popcorn,” she said. “Jesse, come on. Open up. I have your movie.”

Jesse opened the door with a sigh and took the DVD from Beca’s outstretched hand. “Hey,” Beca called as he began to shut the door. “I tried to call you. I left you a bunch of messages.” She grabbed the door in hopes that he’d try and listen to her.

“Yeah. I got ’em,” replied Jesse.

“I’m sorry that we fought. I was mad and I overreacted. I’m just--Aubrey makes me crazy.”

“Seriously? You think I’m mad because you yelled at me?”

“No, I know--”

“No you don’t know. You think you know, but you don’t. You push away anyone who could possibly care about you. Why is that?”

“I don’t know,” Beca admitted.

“Well, you better figure it out, because I’m done with our friendship until you do.”

“Jesse --”

“I’m done,” he repeated, shutting the door.

Beca stood in shock for a beat. She thought for a second before heading to her dad’s, knowing it was probably the only place she could go.

* * *

Beca was relieved when her dad answered the door.

“Hey, Dad? Can we talk? I need some fatherly advice.”

“Of course, Bec. Come in,” he said.

Beca looked around as they walked into the kitchen. “Is…?”

“Sheila’s not home right now. She should be back shortly, though.”

“Good,” said Beca, breathing out a sigh of relief. “I mean, I...I just really needed to talk to you, and I’d rather do it alone.”

“Okay, what’s going on?” he asked, pouring each of them a cup of tea.

Beca told him what had happened at the semifinal competition - her improvisation, Aubrey’s reaction, and how she’d stormed off and quit the Bellas. “The week before Spring Break was so lonely,” she said. “No one’s more surprised than me, but I really liked those weirdos.”

“And you thought quitting was the answer? After you made a commitment to them?” he asked.

“Really? You’re going to talk to me about the sanctity of commitment?”

“Come on, Bec. That isn’t fair.”

“You left us,” said Beca. “You left me.”

“You’re right, I did. It was not my finest moment. But I worked so hard to make things right between us. I saw you as much as I could. I called. I learned how to text, but you just shut me out.”

“Yeah, well, I shut everybody out. Don’t take it personally. It’s just easier.”

“It’s also really lonely,” he said. “Look, Bec, your mom and I...we didn’t work. So I made a really hard decision. But Beca, leaving you was the saddest day of my life. I should have...Well, I’m still trying to make it up to you. It’s probably why I’ve been so stingy about you going to LA. So if that’s what you still want, you go to LA. I’ll support you.”

Just months ago, Beca would have been thrilled to hear those words out of her dad’s mouth. But now, she wasn’t so sure.

“What do I do?” asked Beca.

“That’s up to you. This is one of those hard decisions. But, speaking from personal experience, if you’re going to leave something you care about behind, make sure you do it the right way.”

Beca nodded.

“You know I’m proud of you, right? No matter what you decide.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he said.

Beca gave her dad a hug. She sat back down and drank some of her tea, still thinking, when Sheila came in.

“I’m home!” she called.

“Excuse me,” said her dad.

She heard him walk out to the foyer and murmur something to his wife. Beca decided to give the woman another chance.

“Hi, Sheila,” said Beca.

“Hi, Beca. I owe you an apology. I was brought up believing...well, a lot of things that I don’t anymore. I’ve had several long talks with the pastor at our new church, and I think I understand now. Love is love, right?”

“Yeah, that’s a good start. And, I’m sorry for name-calling.”

“Apology accepted. So, would you like to stay for dinner?”

“I would, but I think I need to get to Bellas’ practice. I’m already late. Can I take a raincheck?” asked Beca.

“Of course,” said Sheila.

“Okay, I really need to get going. Thanks for the fatherly advice, Dad!”

“Anytime,” he said. “And, Beca?”

“Yes?”

“Bring Chloe when you come over for dinner next time. She’s your girlfriend, isn’t she?”

“How did you know about that?” she asked.

“I see your face when you talk about her,” he said. “I know my little girl, even though you’re all grown up now.”

“I’ll ask, but I’m pretty sure she’ll be thrilled to come over.”

“She was a joy to have in my class last spring,” said her dad.

“Yeah, she said she really liked your class.”

“One more thing, Beca?”

“What?”

“Let me know when and where Nationals are. Sheila and I would love to watch.”

“I will,” said Beca.

As she walked to her car, she got a text that brought a smile to her lips.

 _BA: Good news! I’m finally a Treble!  
_ _BM: Awesome!  
_ _BM: How?  
_ _BA: Bumper is out, and I’m in  
_ _BM: Amazing news, Benji_

* * *

_**Aubrey** _

Aubrey had been thrilled to finally get a chance at redemption. However, after a good hour or so of practice, the group was a mess. They didn’t sound good, especially Chloe, and even her own girlfriend was making one mistake after another on the choreography. She’d expected Chloe to complain about Beca not being there, but she’d been a little surprised when several other members of the group agreed.

Beca had made her choice, it seemed. She hadn’t come to practice, and Aubrey was absolutely not going to beg her. A Posen didn’t beg. Ever. Well, unless Stacie was involved, but that was a different story.

Aubrey had made the group rehearse, over and over, with very few breaks. She was sure that they’d finally get it right if they kept practicing and really tried. However, they somehow seemed to get a little worse with each repetition of the routine.

She was surprised when Chloe actually argued with her in front of the group. She’d told Chloe to get her head out of her ass and had them run the routine again before anyone could say something.

Once they’d completed another run-through that had only been marginally better than their performance at SBT, she’d started to give what she felt was constructive criticism. Chloe went off on her again.

“I have been there for you for so many years, and all you do is treat me like shit!” Chloe yelled.

“All right! Okay! Just, shut up! Everyone!” exclaimed Fat Amy.

The group all turned to look at Amy.

She continued. “Come on. I joined this group so I could hang out with some really cool chicks. And also because I was really sick of all of my boyfriends, and I really need to get away from all of that.” The group exchanged looks of surprise. “But...this is some serious horseshit. Stinks everywhere. I don’t want to be like the old Bellas, those girls on the wall!”

Cynthia Rose agreed. “I want to be who we are now.”

“Me too,” said Lilly. She’d been close enough to Aubrey that she’d, for once, been able to understand her.

“We should have listened to Beca,” said Chloe. The group began to gather their things, apparently all deciding they were done for the day.

Seeing this happen and hearing Beca’s name again only added to her anger and anxiety. She felt her stomach begin to twist as it always did when she was stressed. She hoped she could keep everything down.

“Oh, so it’s _my_ fault,” Aubrey retorted.

“No, that’s not what I’m saying--” Chloe replied.

“No, no, no! That’s what you’re all thinking, isn’t it? That I’m the jerk, the girl obsessed with winning!” Aubrey felt the bile rise, and she had a feeling she wasn’t going to be able to stop it.

“Aubrey, you’re too controlling, and it’s going to ruin all of us!”

Aubrey decided to just own what was about to happen. “Hey, I can lose control if I want to! I can let go! This time I’m not going to choke it down!”

And, Aubrey let it go. She vomited more than she’d probably ever vomited in her life. Most of the girls screamed and headed for the bleachers.

Chloe egged her on. “Come on! Bring it! You can do better than that!”

“Enough! Enough!” Fat Amy screamed as the rest of the group went for higher and higher bleachers to avoid the projectile vomit.

When Aubrey finally stopped, Chloe yelled, “We could have been champions!”

Chloe took off to chase Aubrey. As they ran circles around the puddle, Chloe screamed, “Give me the pitch pipe, you bitch! Give it to me!”

Fat Amy grabbed Aubrey and picked her up in what was probably an attempt to break up the fight. Lilly then grabbed Fat Amy to try and pull her off of Aubrey.

She continued to try to get all of them off of her, yelling, “Never! Never!”

The group finally stopped when they heard Beca walk in, yelling, “Guys! Guys, stop! What is going on?”

* * *

_**Beca** _

Beca couldn’t have predicted what was happening at the Bellas’ rehearsal when she finally arrived.

There was a huge puddle of vomit in the middle of the floor, and Lilly was lying in it making “vomit angels.” Chloe, Aubrey, and Fat Amy were piled up on the floor, all trying to reach the pitch pipe, and Stacie was blowing her rape whistle while Cynthia Rose groped her ass.

Aubrey snatched the pitch pipe from the floor and stood up, brushing herself off. “Nothing,” she said. “Nothing. This is a Bellas’ rehearsal.”

“I know,” said Beca. “I just...wanted to say that I’m sorry. What I did was a really dick move, and I shouldn’t have changed the set without asking you guys. And I definitely shouldn’t have left. I let you guys down, and I’m really sorry. And...Aubrey, if you would have me, I want back in.”

The other Bellas all looked at Aubrey, but the captain of the group didn’t speak. Beca waited for a few beats before grabbing the chair by the piano and dragging it out, as Mary Elise had been made to do at the first rehearsal.

She slowly walked toward the door, looking over her shoulder. She really hoped that Aubrey would change her mind or that Chloe would step in if she didn’t.

She even heard Fat Amy whisper, “Aubrey…” and she spotted her shooting the captain a pointed look.

She was almost past the bleachers when Aubrey finally called, “Wait!”

“Thank you. That would have been embarrassing,” said Beca.

“I know I’ve been hard on you, Beca. On everybody. But I’m my father’s daughter,” said Aubrey. “And he always said, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, pack your bags.’”

The group just looked at each other, a few murmuring, “That’s rough” or “That’s crazy”.

“I get it. Mine gets on me, too. Not like that, but…” Beca looked around. “I guess we really don’t know that much about each other. I don’t know much about any of you, really, other than Chloe.”

Stacie piped up. “Well, I’ll confess something that most of you don’t know about me.” She took a deep breath. “I have a _lot_ of sex.”

“Yeah, we know, Stacie,” said Fat Amy.

“With Aubrey,” she added.

“Stacie!” Aubrey exclaimed.

Most of the group looked back and forth between the two of them. “Stacie, I think maybe you two should have more sex. Aubrey’s still awfully uptight,” said Fat Amy.

“Wait, this is a good idea. That was a terrible example but a good idea. Let’s go around the room. We can all say something about ourselves that no one else knows.”

Cynthia Rose stood up. “Okay, I have something. This is hard for me to admit to you guys.”

“I think we know where this is going,” said Fat Amy. “Lesbi-honest.”

“For the last two years, I’ve had a serious...gambling problem.”

“What?” asked several members of the group.

“It started when I broke up with my girlfriend,” said Cynthia Rose.

“Whoomp! There it is!” exclaimed Fat Amy.

“I still love you,” said Denise, quietly.

“Anyone else?” asked Beca.

Lilly raised her hand. “I ate my twin in the womb,” she said. Beca was relieved when she didn’t repeat herself, even after several others asked her to.

“Okay,” said Beca. “Fat Amy?”

“I’m an open book. For God sake, you all call me Fat Amy. I guess I’m not really living if I’m not being 100% honest. My real name is Fat Patricia.”

“I worked spring break at the radio station,” said Beca.

“We know!” said everyone except Aubrey.

“Stacie, you didn’t tell me?” asked Aubrey.

“Wasn’t my news to share, and I’ve seen enough of the two of you facing off not to want to be involved,” said Stacie.

“Fine,” said Beca. “I...was nominated for a Tony when I was twelve.”

“You were nominated for a Tony for that?” asked Chloe and Aubrey at the same time.

“Yeah,” said Beca. “Hold on a minute. You guys knew?”

“I googled everyone’s name before sending out invites,” said Aubrey. “I don’t want anyone with skeletons in their closet.” She pulled out her phone and pulled up Beca’s old Playbill. She held it out to the group.

Stacie immediately grabbed the phone from her girlfriend. “Oh my god, look at little Beca!”

Before Beca could say or do anything else, the group gathered around Stacie, all remarking at how adorable Beca had been.

“You were twelve?” Fat Amy asked.

“Yeah,” said Beca.

“You look like you were eight.”

“Shut the fuck up,” said Beca.

Fat Amy pulled out her phone.

“What are you doing?” asked Beca.

“Looking to see if this is on YouTube.”

“Oh, god, no. Please don’t.” Beca had found a video of herself on YouTube from the show a few years ago. She was relieved that only two scenes had made their way to the Internet, and that the video was poor quality. There had been a higher quality version of her big musical number, but it was no longer up on YouTube.

“Oh my god! That’s you, isn’t it?!” exclaimed Fat Amy. She turned her phone to show the [video](https://youtu.be/vu8PwryLIA8?t=234) of a tiny Beca, hair in pigtail braids, singing with a group of adults. After that song, it [showed](https://youtu.be/vu8PwryLIA8?t=364) her clad in pink, and speaking French. Beca hid her face in her hands while the rest of the Bellas watched the video in awe.

“Do you still speak French?” asked Stacie.

“Fuck, shit…” said Beca. The other Bellas laughed.

Stacie turned to Aubrey. “So, what did you find when you googled my name?”

Aubrey grabbed her phone. “This,” she said, pulling up the bikini picture from Stacie’s modeling days.

“Nice,” said Cynthia Rose. “Aubrey, you are one lucky bitch!”

“You’re damn right,” she said.

“So, that’s me,” said Beca. “Someone else please go.”

“We’re dating,” said Jessica and Ashley at the same time.

“Am I the only one here who’s straight?” asked Fat Amy. The others exchanged glances.

“Well, that’s one way to keep most of us out of the Trebles’ pants,” said Stacie.

Chloe stood up. “My turn. Over spring break, I made the courageous decision to remove my nodes. The doctors tell me I can’t sing above a G-sharp. Maybe ever. I thought the season was over.” She burst into tears.

“Come here, Chloe,” said Beca, pulling her crying girlfriend in for a hug. “It’s okay.”

Aubrey stood up. “Beca, what do we do?” She tossed Beca the pitch pipe, which she did not catch because she still had one arm around her girlfriend. Everyone gasped when it rolled in vomit.

“I’m sorry,” said Aubrey.

“Maybe not here,” said Beca.

“I’ll call maintenance about...this,” said Aubrey.

“What about the pitch pipe?”

“I’ve got more,” she said.

“Okay, everyone,” said Beca. “Let’s meet at the empty pool in two hours!”


	21. Chapter 21

_**Beca** _

Beca met the group at the empty pool where they’d done the riff-off. She’d chosen the place not only for its amazing acoustics, but it was also the place where she’d first felt like they’d become a group.

“All right, let’s remix this business,” said Beca as she led the group to the middle of the pool, part of her a little surprised that everyone, especially Aubrey, was following her. “Aubrey, would you pick a song for us, please?”

“Bruno Mars, ‘Just the Way You Are.’”

“Okay,” said Beca, taking just a beat to think of a song to layer in.

“I’ll take the lead,” said Chloe.

“What?” asked Beca. “Are you sure?”

“The song doesn’t go high enough to bother me. I’m fine. I promise.”

Beca knew there was no arguing with Chloe, so she cleared her throat and began to conduct and vocalize the opening piano notes. She was about four bars in when she nodded at each girl to begin her part. Once she had the instrumental and background parts in, she signaled Chloe to begin.

 _Oh, her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they're not shinin'  
_ _Her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her trying  
_ _She's so beautiful and I tell her every day_

She locked eyes with her girlfriend as she layered in “Just a Dream.”

 _I was thinking bout her, thinkin' bout me  
_ _Thinkin' bout us, what we gon' be  
_ _Open my eyes yeah, it was only just a dream  
_ _It was only just a dream_

The group continued, everyone’s confidence increasing as they continued. Beca was surprised at how quickly Aubrey was able to switch from one song to the other.

 _So I traveled back, down that road  
_ _Will she come back, no one knows  
_ _I realize yeah, it was only just a dream_

Beca even got the group going with some stamping and clapping to the beat as they sang. They’d even managed to end the mashup together. Every single Bella was smiling ear to ear when the song ended.

Aubrey simply said, “Hands in.” The group got into a circle, and, finally, got the “aca-huddle” correct.

The biggest surprise, however, was the note that came out of Chloe’s mouth. It was definitely a bass note. She clapped her hand over her mouth in surprise.

“What was that?” asked Fat Amy.

“I don’t know. I’ve never made that sound before,” said Chloe.

“With your messed up vocal cords, you can hit the bass notes!” exclaimed Cynthia Rose.

“Do you know what that means?” asked Aubrey.

Lilly raised her hand.

“Yes, Lilly,” said Aubrey.

They all leaned in.

“I think I have something that can help us out,” she said, the acoustics of the area making it possible for everyone to hear her.

“Excuse me, bitch. You don’t need to shout,” said Fat Amy while everyone laughed.

“Everyone, pizza party at our apartment!” called Aubrey.

“Great idea,” said Beca.

“Should I call an Uber?” asked Stacie, pulling out her phone.

“Aubrey, do you and Chloe both have your cars here?” asked Beca.

“Yes.”

“I think we can probably fit everyone in our cars. No Uber needed. Let’s head over,” said Beca.

They divided the group and headed over to Aubrey and Chloe’s apartment. After a rather involved discussion regarding pizza toppings shortly after arriving at the apartment (Beca had to stop Aubrey from making a spreadsheet), they ordered a bunch of pizzas.

Beca brought over her laptop with some mixes and played them for the group over some Bluetooth speakers while they waited.

The group spent a good amount of time chatting and getting to know each other. They even managed to drag a few details out of Beca about her time on Broadway.

“So, you were the only child in the show?” asked Aubrey.

“Yeah. I know my hours worked with whatever child labor laws were in place, but, other than that, and tutoring breaks, I didn’t receive special treatment.”

“Where did you live?” asked Jessica.

“With my grandmother,” she said. “She lives in New York, and that’s why I auditioned.”

“What?” asked Fat Amy.

“Okay, brief history. My parents have been divorced since I was eight. I lived with my mom in Seattle most of the time. My dad lives here, but I didn’t spend a ton of time here. Gram is from my dad’s side, but she still gets along with my mom. My mom brought me to New York to see her as a birthday gift, and there had been an open audition. I'd done some community theater when I was little, but nothing else. I don’t think my mom expected me to land the part, so she agreed to let me go. And, once I got the part, she wasn’t exactly going to say no. So, I spent my seventh-grade year living with Gram. My parents came up to visit sometimes, and they even watched my show a few times. I don’t think I understood the big deal about being nominated for a Tony at that age. I just thought I’d done a good job. My mom and grandmother even took me shopping for a new dress to wear. I wore my mom’s wedding veil as a shawl to the awards.”

Stacie already had her phone out. “Found it,” she said. She showed the group a [photo](https://i.imgur.com/MyHEW12.jpg) of a very young Beca on the red carpet.

The other Bellas all took turns looking at the picture and saying, “Awww…”

“Why didn’t you tell any of us this?” asked Chloe. “Or, at least, me?”

“It’s weird,” she said. “I was twelve, and I didn’t act after that. I didn’t want it to seem like I was bragging. It doesn’t really come up in conversation.”

“I still can’t believe you did that,” said Stacie. “I never would have guessed.”

“It was a one-time thing,” said Beca. “Anyway, can we please talk about something else?”

“So, Beca,” said Aubrey. “We have a month until the finals. What do we do?”

Beca cleared her throat, still somewhat shocked that Aubrey had handed over the reins. “I think I’d like some input from everyone. If you have a pen and paper available, I’ll write down a list of song ideas. I can see what mashes up together.”

Aubrey went to her bedroom and quickly came back with a notepad and pen.

“Okay,” said Beca. The others immediately tossed out suggestions of songs as Beca tried to write them down as quickly as possible.

“Hey, Aubrey?” asked Cynthia Rose.

“Yes?”

“Is it okay if we choose songs that aren’t made famous by women?”

“I…” she mulled it over. “I guess anything is fine. Just, remember, though, no profanity allowed. ICCA rules.”

“‘Give Me Everything’ by Pitbull,” said Cynthia Rose. Beca wrote it down.

“I have another question,” said Ashley.

“Okay.”

“Can we change up the uniforms?” asked Ashley.

“We don’t have the budget for new ones,” said Aubrey. “I have just enough to buy plane tickets and hotel rooms for everyone. And that’s with us squeezing into two hotel rooms. There’s hardly any money left.”

“What if we chose our own outfits?” asked Jessica. “We could keep it to the Bellas color scheme, and everyone would still wear the scarf. But, maybe, we could wear it however we want.”

Beca could hear several members of the group murmur their agreement.

“Aubrey, I think Jessica and Ashley have a great idea. Everyone has to pick out their outfit beforehand, though. You and I would have final approval,” said Chloe.

“I’ve worn that uniform for four years,” said Aubrey.

“Which means it’s time for a change!” exclaimed Chloe.

“I’m willing to see what everyone comes up with,” said Aubrey. “I guess if we’re changing our sound, we might as well change our look. So, yeah, okay. And you can do what you want with your hair, too.”

“I think I found some shoes,” said Ashley, who had been searching on her phone. “I think the Bella heels have to go.”

Ashley pulled up a picture of some funky black [sneakers](https://imgur.com/XJTdi2n) with heels.

“No, no, no,” said Fat Amy. “No more heels!”

Jessica pulled up a picture of black low-top Converse [sneakers](https://imgur.com/y9Zqr1q). “You could wear these.”

“I can do that,” said Fat Amy.

“Great,” said Beca. “What about choreography? It’s not really my strong suit. I’m much better at putting music together.”

“I can help with that,” said Stacie. “I took dance as a kid.”

“So did I,” said Chloe. “Would you like to work together?”

“Yeah,” said Stacie.

“So, Lilly?” asked Beca. “What was your idea?”

Lilly mumbled something before demonstrating some rather intricate beatboxing.

“Where did you learn _that?_ ” asked Beca.

Lilly mumbled again. It sounded a lot like “Donald.” Beca wasn’t sure if Aubrey would get upset about anything involving a Treble, so she didn’t ask her to repeat herself.

The group had a great time simply chatting and enjoying each other’s company, something they hadn’t done before.

“Hey Beca, how long will it take you to come up with a new arrangement?” asked Aubrey.

“I can probably have something preliminary by Friday,” she said. “I’ll let you know if I have something earlier.”

“Okay,” said Aubrey. “Everyone, take some time off. We’ll start practice again on Saturday. 8 am sharp.”

Beca found herself disappointed when it got late and they had to drive everyone back to their dorms.

* * *

_**Chloe** _

Chloe dropped her group of Bellas off at Barden, making sure to wait until they were safely inside Baker Hall before pulling away. She was glad to see Beca parking her car as she pulled into the lot at her apartment building.

“Hey,” said Chloe.

“Hey.”

“Do you want to stay over at my place tonight?”

“What about Aubrey?” she asked.

“Remember, it’s my place, too. And she actually texted me to tell me she’s staying with Stacie at her place tonight. Her roommate isn’t back yet and they wanted a change of scenery.”

“Okay,” said Beca. “Let me just grab some things from mine and I’ll walk right over.”

Chloe walked into her apartment and opened up her suitcase to unpack. Her mom had washed everything, so she was glad to not have to do any laundry. She was just putting the last pair of socks in her drawer when she heard her doorbell.

She opened the door, pulling her girlfriend in for a kiss the minute she’d stepped over the threshold.

“Miss me?” asked Beca, pulling away.

“So much,” said Chloe. She led her girlfriend into her bedroom.

“Where should I put this?” asked Beca, holding up her overnight bag.

“Over there,” said Chloe, gesturing to a chair in the corner.

She sat on the bed once Beca had dropped her bag and pulled her girlfriend onto her lap. Beca immediately began kissing down her jawline. Chloe reached under Beca’s shirt and pulled her close. She turned to reconnect their lips, deciding that the twenty seconds she’d spent without her lips on Beca’s was way too long.

“You know what?” asked Chloe. “We’ve never made love in my bed.”

“We’d better fix that,” said Beca, hopping off of Chloe’s lap.

Chloe pulled back the covers of the bed. She felt Beca begin to tug at the hem of her shirt as she turned around.

“Let’s take this off,” said Beca, removing Chloe’s shirt. Chloe immediately pulled Beca’s shirt over her head.

She pulled Beca close, peppering kisses down the girl’s neck as she unhooked her bra. Beca reached around to unhook Chloe’s bra, and the two pulled apart just long enough to remove their own bras the rest of the way.

Beca climbed back into her lap, her lips reattaching to Chloe’s before she’d even sat down. Chloe loved the feeling of the smaller girl in her lap, chests touching without anything between them. She pulled Beca close to her and slowly moved her hand down to grab at her ass, causing the other girl to gasp before continuing to kiss her, somehow even deeper than before. Beca soon began to grind her hips into Chloe’s.

She then got off of Chloe’s lap and quickly yanked off her jeans and underwear before sitting back down. Chloe reached in between them and began to gently stroke at Beca’s clit.

“Fuck,” said Beca. “You feel so good.”

Chloe felt through Beca’s folds, noting how wet she already was. She easily slipped two fingers inside, and Beca took control, riding Chloe’s fingers.

“That’s so hot, baby,” said Chloe. “I love you so much.”

Chloe’s words seemed to be just what was needed to push Beca over the edge. She put her head on Chloe’s shoulder and held onto her for dear life as she came.

Once Beca appeared to have settled, Chloe whispered, “Beca, I need you.”

Beca gently pressed her hands to Chloe’s shoulders. “Lie down,” she said.

Chloe lay down, and she felt Beca open her jeans. She lifted her hips so Beca could take them and her underwear off of her.

Beca then began to press kisses up one inner thigh, and then the other before putting her mouth where Chloe really wanted it. She lifted her head and propped herself up on her elbows so she could watch Beca. Beca caught her eye and locked her gaze with hers as she licked and sucked until Chloe was a quivering mess. She threw her head back and screwed her eyes shut as she came.

Chloe smiled as she felt Beca snuggle up to her. She wrapped her arm around her girlfriend, feeling happier than she had in a while.

“Chloe?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“You just did.”

“Very funny,” said Beca, and Chloe swore she could feel the girl’s eye roll.

“You can ask me anything you want.”

“That time I heard you and Tom in the shower, why did you tell him you’d get electrocuted?”

“You heard that,” said Chloe.

“The walls in the building are paper-thin, and that’s not exactly a word you hear people say very often,” said Beca. “So?”

“He wanted to use one of my toys in the shower, but I didn’t know whether or not it was waterproof.”

Beca laughed. “So, did you ever figure that out?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“I’ve never actually used a toy,” Beca said. “I don’t even own any.”

“We could try some of mine if you want,” said Chloe.

“Maybe next time,” said Beca, yawning. “For now, I just want to sleep.”

“Okay, let’s sleep,” said Chloe, turning to face Beca. She pulled her closer and intertwined her legs with her girlfriend’s. She felt Beca quickly succumb to sleep. She was still on West Coast time, so she simply lay there for a while, enjoying the feeling of holding Beca while she slept.

* * *

That morning, Chloe woke up in her own bed with Beca in her arms for the first time.

“Morning, baby,” she said, pressing a kiss to her sleepy girlfriend’s lips.

“Morning,” Beca said before yawning.

“I love you,” said Chloe. “And I love waking up here with you.”

“Your bed is really comfy.”

“Yeah, but we need to get up. Want to join me in the shower?”

“Something tells me you wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer, anyway.”

“You know I love showering with you,” said Chloe. “But I would if you were serious.”

“Thanks. But, yeah, that sounds like fun,” said Beca.

They got into the shower, and Chloe thought she knew the perfect [song](https://open.spotify.com/track/5cnx0SS8j61rkgTI6Nbl2v).

 _I love Paris in the springtime  
_ _I love Paris in the fall_

“No way!” exclaimed Beca.

Chloe continued anyway.

 _I love Paris in the winter  
_ _When it drizzles  
_ _I love Paris in the summer  
_ _When it sizzles_

“Chloe, I swear to God if you sing one more word of that song, we are never having sex again!”

“You don’t mean that.”

“Guess we’ll find out,” said Beca.

Chloe didn’t sing another word of it. She instead had another idea. She adopted her most irritating “eager child actor” voice and sang.

 _Let me entertain you  
_ _Let me make you smile  
_ _Let me do a few tricks  
_ _Some old and then some new tricks  
_ _I'm very versatile_

“I guess you read the Playbill,” said Beca. The [song](https://open.spotify.com/track/222RHQkyxWLrP3Y1qYYRp9?si=RJtTfHFZQPWshrGCBaEfEQ) was her character’s big number from the time she’d played Baby June in _Gypsy_ in a community theater production.

Chloe nodded. “I’m sure you remember this song.”

“I do.”

Beca continued.

 _And if you're real good  
_ _I'll make you feel good  
_ _I'd want your spirit to climb  
_ _So let me entertain you  
_ _We'll have a real good time  
_ _Yes sir  
_ _We'll have  
_ _A real good time_

“Does your mom have any of this on video?” asked Chloe.

“I don’t know. Probably.”

They finished their shower, and Chloe was somehow ready before Beca. She walked into the kitchen to see her girlfriend making omelettes for them.

“I’ll have to cook for you soon,” said Beca. “Did I tell you my mom gave me some cooking lessons over the break?”

“No, you didn’t,” said Chloe, bringing two plates to the table.

“Yeah, although she started by showing me how to use a toaster,” said Beca. “I seriously don’t know why she thought I needed a lesson on that.”

“That’s funny.”

“Yeah. She taught me a few basics. It was pretty fun. It’s a shame you didn’t get to meet her. Maybe this summer. Will you be in Portland?”

“I don’t know,” said Chloe. “I still haven’t figured out what happens. Our lease is up at the end of June. Aubrey and I need to discuss that.”

“You probably should,” said Beca. “So, what happened over your break?” They’d texted over the break, but with Beca working the night shift and Chloe having surgery, they hadn’t actually talked all that much.

“My dad has a new girlfriend. I like her, but she’s so much like my mom. She even looks like her.”

“Some people have a type.”

“Yeah,” said Chloe. “I mostly spent my break in a haze from painkillers after the surgery. Before that, though, I spent a little time visiting my brothers and their families. The kids are getting so big.”

“That sounds like fun,” said Beca. “What about the surgery? Were you scared?”

“A little. I was mostly afraid I wouldn’t be able to sing. I can’t believe I can hit the bass notes now.”

“It makes things easier on my part,” said Beca.

“I would bet it does.”

“So, I still don’t know what to do about Jesse. I hate that he won’t talk to me. I know I was a jerk. I talked to my dad about things. I shut him out after he left. It just seemed easier to me, and I guess a part of me carried that. Jesse had only been trying to help me, and I pushed him away. Do you know my mom and I spent a lot of the break watching movies?”

“You watched movies?” asked Chloe.

“Yeah,” said Beca. “I can kind of see why Jesse likes them. I went to his place to return his DVD of _The Breakfast Club_ yesterday, and he told me he was done with our friendship until I figured out why I push people away who care about me. But now I don’t even know how to tell him.”

“You didn’t push me away,” said Chloe.

“Hard to push someone away who comes barreling in, knocking down all of my walls.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Can you throw something into our finale?”

“That’s a thought,” said Beca.

They finished breakfast and headed to campus in their respective cars.

* * *

_**Beca** _

Beca was at the radio station, alone with the stacks of music. Luke had come out of the booth briefly when she’d arrived to praise her good job with the night shift on Spring Break. She’d hoped this would result in an offer to work the booth again, but that didn’t happen.

Beca slipped her headphones onto her ears and searched through Spotify for a playlist of movie music. She finally found [one](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4EK9SMjyBQvhnMYpMSATy6?si=kW2a97AcSXazwAp5TqIZmg) and set it to play on shuffle while she stacked the music.

As the track "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds began to play, an idea formed in Beca’s head. This just might be the right song to insert into the finale. Beca had told Jesse she’d watched the movie and had gotten the point of it, but this song just might show him that she’d meant what she’d said. The title of the song itself would also send a message. The last thing Beca wanted was for Jesse to forget about their friendship. He’d been such a great support system for her, and she’d made a huge mistake pushing him away. When she’d had time to think about it, she was glad he’d pointed out the fact that she’d been pushing him away. It was better than the silent treatment, and she’d finally been able to talk through things with her dad. He’d been somewhat wrong, though. Beca didn’t push away _everyone_. Chloe was the exception, but the redhead seemed to have that effect on every aspect of Beca’s life.

Beca continued to think as she stacked the music. She wondered if part of the reason she and Alex hadn’t tried to pursue their relationship long-distance may have been her pushing Alex away.

_Seven months ago_

_Beca snuggled up to Alex on her bed. Her girlfriend brought their lips together for a soft kiss._

_“How long until your mom gets home?” asked Alex._

_“Maybe an hour,” Beca replied as she glanced at the clock in her bedroom._

_“Nice.” Alex pulled Beca closer. “That felt so good.”_

_“Yeah?”_

_Alex hummed affirmatively._

_“Why didn’t anyone tell me how great sex is?”_

_“I don’t know,” said Alex. “It sucks that I leave for Michigan tomorrow.”_

_“Well, yeah, but I’ll be leaving for Atlanta next week, so it’s not like I’m around either.”_

_“Will you be home for Thanksgiving?”_

_“I’m not sure, but I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure my dad and stepmonster are having me over.”_

_“Is Sheila really that bad?”_

_“She just always seems to be… ’on’ when I’m there. Like she’s trying so hard. Maybe she feels guilty for splitting my parents up. I never feel ‘at home’ when I’m at my dad’s.”_

_“That sucks. Christmas?”_

_“Yeah, I’ll be here for Christmas.”_

_“We can spend time together. Maybe I can spring for a flight to Atlanta if you have some time.”_

_Beca let go of Alex and sat up. “What?”_

_“I don’t want to wait four months to see you. I think I have a Fall break, so maybe I can fly down or have you fly up to Michigan.”_

_“Alex, I care a lot about you.”_

_“I care about you too, Beca.”_

_“But, I don’t really know if this is going to work when we both go away to college. Long-distance relationships are hard.”_

_“Are you saying you don’t want to try?” asked Alex, her eyes welling up with tears._

_“I…” said Beca._

_“I guess that’s my answer.”_

_“Alex!”_

_“So, after six months of dating, we sleep together and then you dump me. Thanks a lot, Beca,” she said, getting off of the bed and putting her clothes on. “I guess you just wanted to cash in your V card. Glad to be of service.”_

_“That’s not what I wanted! I wasn’t even planning on sleeping together tonight. It just happened.”_

_“Doesn’t make me feel any less shitty,” said Alex._

_“I just...I don’t know what I want. Everything’s changing.”_

_“Then you’ve made your choice.”_

_“I guess I have. Besides, what if you meet a great girl out there? I want you to go for it if you do. I don’t know what is going to happen to me. I’ll go to college long enough to appease my dad, and then I’m off to LA. If we’re meant to work out, we’ll find each other,” said Beca. She moved closer to Alex and pulled her in for a kiss._

_“Do you think so?”_

_“I don’t know. I’m sorry you feel used. I just wanted to be close to you tonight since you’re going away.”_

_“Were you planning on dumping me when I went off to school?”_

_“I don’t know. I just don’t want to hold you back. We’re both going somewhere new and we are going to meet so many people,” said Beca. “But I’d still like to be your friend.”_

_“I’d like that,” said Alex._

As if the girl had read her mind, a text came in from Alex. She had simply asked how the break went, and she’d surprised Beca by telling her she’d listened to her show a few times online. Beca replied that she missed the booth already and she asked Alex to call her that evening after her shift.

* * *

“Hi, Alex.”

“Hey, Beca. What’s up?”

“Do I push people away?” Beca asked.

“Well…”

“You remember I told you about my friend Jesse, don’t you?”

“The movie nut, yes.”

“Well, he said I push away anyone who cares about me. Is that what I did to you?”

Beca heard Alex sigh. “I think you did. You knew how much I cared about you, and you didn’t even want to try and make things work long-distance. Were you pushing me away? Or did you simply not think it was going to work?”

“Both, I think. I had a long talk with my dad yesterday. He left when I was eight, and I just shut him out. I think that maybe that’s what I was doing to you, even though I didn’t realize it.”

“I can see that, and, for the record, I’m not mad. It hurt at the time, especially because we’d just slept together--”

“I can never apologize to you enough for that. That was awful timing.”

“It’s okay, Beca. It’s in the past. I suppose I would have fought harder if there hadn’t been a part of me that felt the same way.”

“Thanks.”

“So, tell me about your girl. Do I get to meet her sometime?” asked Alex.

“Chloe is...amazing. She might be the only person, besides my mom, who I don’t push away. And, I hope you can meet her sometime too. How are things with your girl?”

“Leah’s great. I think she’s going to spend a couple of weeks with me in Seattle this summer. Maybe we can double?”

“Assuming Chloe is in Portland for the summer, I’m sure we can make that work. We could double-date. She’s graduating, though, so I don’t know what her plans are. She and I really need to talk about that.”

“Okay, well, let me know. It’s really good to talk to you again.”

“It’s good to talk to you. See you this summer!”

“See you then.”

* * *

_**Aubrey** _

Chloe was in the kitchen, cooking dinner when Aubrey got back from her classes.

“Smells good,” said Aubrey.

“Thank you,” said Chloe, flipping the chicken burritos.

They sat down to eat and shared how their day’s classes had gone.

“Russian Lit is so tough,” said Chloe. “The group project is falling apart.”

“Sorry, Chloe,” said Aubrey. “I got an A on my Statistics midterm. Stacie helped me study for it.”

“Oh, did she?” asked Chloe, wagging her eyebrows.

“She’s a math whiz. Did you know she’s double majoring in math and chemical engineering?”

“Seriously?” asked Chloe.

“She was valedictorian of her graduating class in high school.”

“That’s great,” said Chloe. After a beat, she said, “So, I have to ask. What would you have done about the minimum number of performers if Beca hadn’t come back?”

“What?”

“We wouldn’t have had the minimum number of performers for the ICCA’s with Beca out.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” said Aubrey. “But, I have no idea. I actually had forgotten. I was so upset with Beca for her improvisation, and then I was so excited to get another chance…”

“Well, I’m glad she’s back.”

“Me too,” said Aubrey.

Chloe smiled and shook her head. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

“I meant what I said yesterday. I have been hard on everyone, but Beca definitely got the brunt of it. And I really do feel bad for not listening to you. You’re my co-captain, and I really should have listened to your ideas and opinions.”

“Well, you’re listening now. And I’m sure Beca is going to come up with something great.”

“I think so too,” said Aubrey. “And you and Stacie are going to rock the choreography.”


	22. Chapter 22

_**Beca** _

Beca looked over the list of songs the group had suggested. She immediately scratched quite a few of the songs Fat Amy had suggested off of the list. There was absolutely no way they were singing anything by The Wiggles. She thought about Cynthia Rose’s suggestion of “Give Me Everything.” She thought that it would definitely be a change in the right direction, but that Cynthia Rose would be the perfect Bella to take the lead. Aubrey’s suggestion of “Just the Way You Are” was also a great idea to layer, especially because it had helped them find their sound. “Party in the USA” was also a good one to add, as it was another time they’d felt like a regular group.

Beca feverishly worked her mixing program. She’d really wanted to layer in “No Diggity” but it didn’t quite work. Aubrey had also suggested “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper, but Beca vetoed that. She’d spent enough time singing old 80’s songs made famous by women to last her a lifetime.

The clock hit midnight before Beca’s brain finally began to shut down. She saved her progress, shut down her laptop, and practically fell into bed.

* * *

Beca dragged herself into the shower, and Chloe began to sing just after the water went on.

 _Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes  
_ _Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear_

Beca joined in immediately, smiling. She loved _Rent_ and her girlfriend knew it.

 _Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes  
_ _How do you measure, measure a year?_

Once she was out of the shower, she texted Chloe and Aubrey to ask if they’d like to hear her first draft of the finale. They were both available that evening, so she invited them over.

She made spaghetti for the captains, proud of herself for remembering the cooking lessons her mother had just given her. They both seemed to enjoy the food, and Beca was relieved that she hadn’t somehow messed up cooking. She knew Chloe would probably be polite and eat whatever she cooked, but Aubrey still made her nervous.

She fired up her laptop and was about to let them take turns with the headphones when Aubrey offered to bring over her Bluetooth speaker.

She started up the mix, smiling when the two captains were bobbing their heads and tapping their feet to the music.

“What do you think?” Beca asked, her voice much quieter than intended.

“I think it’s really good,” said Aubrey.

“Me too,” said Chloe. “But…”

“What?” asked Beca.

“I think we should let everyone hear it before we go any further,” said Chloe. “You took ideas from everyone, and I think they should have some input on the finished product.”

“It’s fine with me,” Beca said. “Aubrey?”

Aubrey took a few beats to answer. “Right, of course. Sorry. I’m just so used to controlling everything. Yes, let’s see when everyone is available.”

The three of them divided the list of Bellas, and, by chance, everyone was able to meet that evening. They each took their cars and headed to Barden to pick everyone up.

They all met in Beca’s apartment, the group all excitedly chatting about hearing Beca’s arrangement.

“Where’s the food?” asked Fat Amy.

“Let me see what’s around,” said Beca. She opened her cabinet and tossed a bag of chips at her friend.

“I have some things at our place,” said Aubrey. “Be right back.”

“I’ll help,” said Stacie.

“Sure you will,” said Fat Amy while the others snickered.

Stacie flipped them off as she shut the door behind them.

The two of them returned several minutes later with pretzels, popcorn, and some cut-up fruit. Aubrey looked a little flushed and Stacie looked more smug than usual, but Beca chose to keep her mouth shut. She exchanged a look with Chloe, who shot her a wink, and she knew she’d noticed the same thing.

The group passed the food around. Beca played the arrangement for them.

“So, Aubrey, I was going to have you lead ‘Price Tag’ and have Cynthia Rose lead ‘Give Me Everything.’ Are you guys okay with that?”

“Beca, the last time I had a solo at Nationals…” Aubrey began.

“Aubrey, I think you can do it. Besides, you won’t have Alice this time stressing you out. I wouldn’t give you the lead if I didn’t think you could handle it.”

“But, Chloe…” Aubrey trailed off.

“Chloe is doing the bass part, and I’m not pushing her voice. She had to stay overnight in the hospital because her nodes were so bad!”

“I didn’t know that,” said Aubrey.

“You can do it,” said Stacie, gently stroking her girlfriend’s arm.

“You think?” Aubrey softly asked.

“Yes,” she said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“I’ll do it,” said Aubrey.

“So, I thought we’d slow down ‘Price Tag’ and then Lilly could beatbox before we take it up to tempo,” said Beca. “Cynthia Rose, you could take over the lead after that if you like. Would you be more comfortable with that, Aubrey?”

Aubrey nodded.

“Beca, I could take part of ‘Price Tag’,” said Chloe.

“Only if you’re sure,” said Beca.

“I’m sure. I really want to. I promise I’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” said Beca. “So, any other ideas?”

Fat Amy stood up and began to sing.

 _La la la  
_ _La la la-la-la  
_ _La la la  
_ _La la la-la-la_

 _La la la  
_ _La la la-la-la  
_ _La la la  
_ _La la la-la-la_

 _I just can't get you out of my head  
_ _Boy, your loving is all I think about  
_ _I just can't get you out of my head  
_ _Boy, it's more than I dare to think about_

She also began to perform some choreography that Beca guessed was Amy’s interpretation of whatever was in the music video.

“Ummm…” Beca stalled. “I’ll think about it, okay?”

“All I ask!” exclaimed Fat Amy, seeming satisfied.

“Anyone else?”

A few others suggested some songs Beca hadn’t considered before. Beca took note of all of them.

“Stacie?”

“Yeah, Chloe?”

“When can we get together to work on choreography?”

“Tomorrow night?” asked Stacie.

“Sounds good,” said Chloe. “Aubrey, do we have the auditorium this week?”

“We do,” said Aubrey.

“Okay, let’s go there,” said Chloe. “We won’t have the room at the apartment. Beca, can you make me a copy of the first draft so we can start there?”

Beca opened a drawer in her desk, pulled out a flash drive, and copied the mp3 onto it.. “Done,” she said, handing it to her girlfriend.

“Can we talk about costumes?” asked Jessica.

“I’d like to put my ear spikes back in,” said Beca.

“Fine,” said Aubrey. “But I kind of still want to wear my blazer and my Bella hoop earrings.”

“Maybe you could, but with a different top under it,” Ashley suggested. “Maybe a black one. The Bella hoop earrings are pretty nice, and they should probably stay. I think I’d like to wear mine.”

“I’m wearing something I can move around in,” said Fat Amy. “I need a full range of motion to pull off my sexy moves.”

A few of the girls exchanged looks. “Okay,” said Aubrey. “Just wear your scarf. Nobody forget.”

“Can I put it around my wrist?” asked Fat Amy.

“I was going to put it on my microphone,” said Lilly.

“As long as everyone can see the scarf, that’s fine,” said Aubrey.

“My mom works at a sewing shop,” said Jessica. “She offered to send me some fancy stuff in Bella colors. She has a whole roll of blue sequin elastic. We could make belts or bracelets. And I can help with some of the sewing. I’m not as good at it as my mom is, but I can do a little.”

“I want something that shows off my legs,” said Stacie.

Aubrey seemed incapable of answering. Beca saw Chloe smirk before okaying the idea.

“Chloe and Stacie?” asked Denise. “Could we…?”

“Yes?” asked Chloe.

“Could we all have a say in the choreography? Like how Beca is using our ideas for the songs?”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” said Chloe.

“Okay,” said Aubrey. “It’s getting late, so we should wrap this up and take all of you back to campus. Let’s have Chloe and Stacie start working on the choreography, and then we’ll take input.”

* * *

_**Chloe** _

Chloe met Stacie in the auditorium at what was normally the time practice would start. She’d stopped by Beca’s briefly because the girl had tweaked the finale a bit and wanted to give her the latest version of it to use for choreography. She fired up her laptop and Bluetooth speakers and played the mix for Stacie.

“So, I think, since the song starts slowly, we should keep the opening moves simple and controlled,” said Chloe.

“We can base the moves on the lyrics,” said Stacie. “Like, this, for ‘Seems like everybody’s got a price.’” She mimicked a gesture people made to illustrate large amounts of money.

“I like that,” said Chloe. “We could start with our heads down and raise them to look at the audience for the first note. I think your idea works really well for that opening line. What about ‘I wonder how they sleep at night’? Could we...fold our hands and lay our heads to the side? No, that doesn’t work with everyone holding a microphone. Let’s keep it simple and maybe just float our hands down.”

Chloe and Stacie sang the opening two lines and tried the gestures. “I think that’s a good start,” said Stacie. “Okay, the next line is ‘When the sale comes first and the truth comes second.’ That’s easy. One finger up and then two.”

“Right, but we could flip our hands,” said Chloe. She held her hand up with her palm facing her for the first finger and then turned it so her palm faced out for the second finger.

“I like that,” said Stacie. “And we could put our hand out for ‘Stop for a minute.’”

“For ‘and smile’ we could turn a little, and add a shoulder roll, maybe?” Chloe demonstrated the move she had in mind. “I don’t want us standing still just doing hand motion for the entire slow part.”

“That’s a good one. And I think it’s pretty obvious what we do for ‘Everybody look to their left, everybody look to their right.’”

“Yeah, we just have to make sure we’re together on that. We turn our heads when I sing the direction words, I think. Sharp movements, or a little slower?”

“Slow, but controlled,” said Stacie.

“And then I think we just turn our heads front for the last two lines.”

“Right,” said Stacie. “And, Lilly has a solo next, so she can choose what she wants to do.”

“Perfect,” said Chloe.

The two of them worked through the rest of “Price Tag,” making sure to feature Cynthia Rose as she had the lead once the tempo increased.

“We need to make sure we have Beca front and center for her part,” said Chloe. “She’s singing it as an apology to Jesse.”

“For what?”

“That’s kind of between Jesse and Beca, but I’ll just say they were really good friends and now they’re not.”

“Okay,” said Stacie. “Well, I’m assuming this is a nod to _The Breakfast Club_.”

“It is.”

“We could line up in two vertical lines and have Beca walk up the middle. Some simple moves and gestures work. And then when she sings the line about walking, we could go to one line horizontally. Then we move to...something I guess we’ll figure out. But she could raise her fist like Judd Nelson in there somewhere.”

“Perfect,” said Chloe. “Let’s get some ideas from everyone else on that part. And, what do we do for ‘Give Me Everything’?”

“I don’t know,” said Stacie. “I think we leave some of that up to the group. See what people can do.”

“So, do we want to stop here? Maybe see if everyone can come here tomorrow and put our heads together?”

“I think that’s a great idea,” said Stacie. “Maybe Beca will have a final arrangement ready.”

* * *

_**Aubrey** _

Aubrey considered herself pretty lucky when Wednesday evening came around. She’d gotten texts from both Chloe and Stacie stating that they’d worked out quite a bit of the choreography, and she’d gotten one from Beca stating that she’d completed the final version of the music. She’d be printing sheet music for everyone, and she’d have it ready by the next day. Aubrey sent the Bellas a group text asking if everyone could be at the auditorium at the usual practice time on Thursday. Ashley and Jessica had asked if they could also bring what they’d planned to wear if they had it ready.

The group was buzzing with even more excitement on Thursday night than they had when they’d first found out they’d gotten to Nationals. They started by having Beca pass out the sheet music to the group. The first try was a little rough, but the group seemed to really enjoy the new sound. They’d never seemed very excited about the previous set, and Aubrey mentally kicked herself for being so stubborn. Even if they didn’t win, everyone seemed much happier than they had all year.

After about an hour, Beca suggested Chloe and Stacie start showing them the choreography. Aubrey was glad that the moves during her solo lines were pretty simple.

Chloe and Stacie took some time to have the group suggest moves that they’d like to do. Beca had given Fat Amy a solo, and they’d let her choreograph that part. Aubrey thought it was borderline inappropriate, but everyone insisted they should take the risk.

“Aubrey, you said you’d take risks,” said Chloe.

“Fine,” Aubrey said with a sigh.

“Which reminds me, I have an idea,” said Stacie. “I call this the ‘boob lift’.” She demonstrated, making Aubrey weak in the knees.

“Quit drooling, Posen,” Beca teased.

“It’s no worse than the amount of cleavage Alice insisted we display last year,” Chloe pointed out.

“Oh, what the hell, let’s do it!” exclaimed Aubrey.

Chloe and Stacie walked through some other ideas, one of which involved Stacie dropping into a split at one end of the line while the rest of the Bellas were in poses in varying heights, building to Jessica at the end of the line with her arm raised.

“Did you know she was this flexible?” Cynthia Rose asked Aubrey.

“Oh, yeah,” said Aubrey.

“How is everyone doing with costumes?” asked Jessica. “I used the sequins my mom sent and sewed them to my jeggings. I can do those for anyone else who wants them.”

Lilly nodded and pulled a pair of jeans out of her bag and handed them to Jessica.

“I’m using the sequins as a belt,” said Ashley.

“Could I have some to use as a belt?” asked Aubrey.

“Sure,” said Jessica.

“You brought your sewing scissors?” asked Beca.

“Of course. I don’t know how else I was going to share this stuff.”

Everyone began to excitedly talk about what they were going to wear. Aubrey had decided to wear her blazer, but unbuttoned, a black tank under it, with jeans, and she’d have the scarf around her neck. Chloe had chosen something similar, but she’d wanted to use her scarf as a belt. Beca confessed that she’d been too busy arranging the music to choose an outfit, but Chloe immediately promised her she’d help her find something in one or both of their closets. Fat Amy wanted to wear capri leggings, as did Cynthia Rose and Denise. They both wanted to wear a black tank and the Bella blazer over it. Stacie was going to wear a black tank and a white button-down shirt but tied across the front. She opted for the sequins as a belt, too. Jessica and Ashley said they’d make some bracelets as well for anyone who wanted them.

“Let’s resume regular practices on Saturday,” said Aubrey. “I think everyone deserves a Friday night off.”

“Really?” asked Beca.

“The only reason I had everyone here today was that you all wanted to work together on the number. I think we all deserve a Friday night off of practice, and we can start fresh on Saturday. How’s 10 am? I don’t think we need to be there at 8 am like usual.”

The group exchanged looks.

“We’d better go before she changes her mind,” said Fat Amy.

Chloe caught up with Aubrey as they left the auditorium. “That was such a good practice,” she said.

“Yeah, it was really productive,” said Aubrey.

“It was, but I noticed something I haven’t seen this entire year at practice,” said Chloe.

“A happy group?” asked Aubrey.

“Yeah,” said Chloe. “I told you we needed Beca.”

“You’re right, Chloe. There, I said it. Happy?”

“Totes.”


	23. Chapter 23

_**Beca** _

_Four weeks later_

Beca was on a plane headed to New York for the ICCA Finals. When she thought about it, she couldn’t believe that she was going to be leading the group. She’d spent so much time butting heads with Aubrey, and now she had the pitch pipe.

She was seated next to Chloe. Denise and Cynthia Rose were in the aisle across from them, and the rest of the group was seated nearby. Beca was a little surprised to see the two of them holding hands, and even more surprised when Denise laid her head on Cynthia Rose’s shoulder. She shot them a questioning glance.

“I’m getting help for my gambling problem, so we decided to give things another go,” said Cynthia Rose.

“But, I thought the problem started when you two broke up.”

“Not really. I’d had problems for a while, and they got worse when we split.”

“Good for you for getting help,” said Beca.

Chloe reached her arm around Beca and pulled her close. She whispered, “Want to join the Mile High Club?”

“No way,” Beca whispered back. “The rest of the group is on this flight. And my _dad_ is on this flight.”

Chloe pouted in response.

“It’s a two-hour flight,” Beca whispered. “Keep it in your pants.”

Chloe settled for cuddling on the flight as well as stealing most of Beca’s pretzels.

Chloe and Aubrey took over making sure everyone got their things from the baggage claim. Beca and the others were glad Aubrey had chosen a hotel that offered free airport pickup.

They were all standing around in the hotel lobby while Aubrey checked them in. Beca could hear her beginning to argue with the staff at the front desk. She and Chloe walked up to see what was going on.

“There’s a limit of four to a room,” said Aubrey. “They took one look at the group and told us we have to book at least one extra room. We don’t have it in the budget.”

Before Beca could say anything, she heard her dad behind her. “Hi, I’m Dr. Mitchell, checking in. Please add three more rooms for this group and charge it to my card.”

“Dad!” exclaimed Beca. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Let me help, okay? I want you all to be comfortable and get a good night’s rest for tomorrow’s performance.”

“Are you sure, Dad?”

“Positive,” he said.

“Thank you, Dr. Mitchell,” said Aubrey.

“Anything for the Barden Bellas.”

“Thanks, Dad,” said Beca.

The receptionist handed five sets of room keys to Aubrey. She passed them out. “Okay, I’ll share with Stacie. Beca and Chloe, you share. Jessica and Ashley, here you go. Denise and Cynthia Rose, here is yours. That leaves Lilly and Amy to room together.”

The group grabbed their keys and headed to their rooms. Fat Amy said, “When I joined this group to get away from my boyfriends, I didn’t think I’d end up with a group of raging lesbians.”

“We are not _all_ raging lesbians!” exclaimed Aubrey.

“Exactly,” said Stacie. “I’m a raging pansexual!”

“Raging bi!” exclaimed Chloe.

Beca just shook her head as she followed everyone to the elevator. She couldn’t help but love that group of weirdos.

* * *

_**Chloe** _

“Your dad was so nice to get us extra rooms,” said Chloe as they got settled into their room.

“I think some of that is divorce guilt,” said Beca. “But, yeah, it’s nice.”

“Especially since I brought these,” said Chloe, rummaging through her suitcase and holding up a couple of different sex toys, making Beca blush.

“Chloe,” said Beca. “Exactly _when_ were you going to use these?”

“I was going to pay the others to let us have the room to ourselves for a while.”

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you. That’s like skywriting that we’re having sex!”

“So? We’re consenting adults,” said Chloe.

“It’s still more than any of them needs to know.”

“So...how long before we meet everyone for dinner?”

Beca glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “A little over an hour. Why the hell did Aubrey insist we eat dinner at 5:00 with all of the old people?”

“Because last year, even though we had reservations at 6, we still waited over an hour to be seated,” said Chloe.

“Okay, well, Early Bird Special with the old people, it is!” exclaimed Beca.

“So, in the meantime, do you want to pick a toy?” asked Chloe.

“What?”

Chloe rummaged through her suitcase and pulled out a set of batteries. “Which one should I put the batteries into?” She answered the questioning glance that followed. “I always take out the batteries before I pack these. I don’t want to explain vibrating luggage.”

Beca blushed at the comment and looked over the toys.

“We don’t have to.”

“I’m just surprised you brought these,” said Beca. She looked a little more before pointing a shaky finger at the bullet vibrator. “That one?”

“That’s a good one. It’s like you. Small, but powerful.”

“Oh my god,” said Beca, putting her face in her hands.

Chloe put the batteries into the toy, flicked it on to make sure it worked, and then turned it off and set it down. She put the other toys back in her suitcase. “Come here,” she said to Beca, pulling her in for a kiss. She could feel Beca’s heart hammering against her chest as she pulled her close.

“Hey, we don’t have to,” she said.

“I want to,” said Beca. “I’m just excited.”

“Me too,” said Chloe. She began to remove Beca’s clothing, touching and caressing her before removing her own clothing. She was a little surprised when Beca handed her the toy.

“Show me what you like,” said Beca.

She flicked the toy on low and ran it over Beca’s nipples, causing Beca’s body to jerk. “Too much?” Chloe asked. Beca shook her head. She ran it over each of her nipples before moving to Beca’s thighs. She ran it up each thigh and around her folds, loving her girlfriend’s reaction to the new sensations. She touched the tip of the vibrator to Beca’s clit, grinning when she heard Beca curse. She slowly rubbed the toy up and down Beca’s clit. She saw just how wet it was making Beca, so she inserted a finger and quickly added a second one. She kicked the speed up just a little, pushing Beca over the edge.

Once Beca’s breathing slowed, she said, “Chloe, that was...why didn’t I use toys before?”

“I don’t know,” said Chloe, laughing. “I hope I’m still enough for you.”

“Always,” said Beca. “Want me to use it on you?”

“Yes!”

Chloe lay on her back waiting for Beca to come back from the bathroom after quickly washing the toy. She moaned and bucked as Beca ran it all over her nipples, just as she’d had done to her. As Beca put the toy on her clit, Chloe said, “Oh, that’s so good, Beca.”

As she continued to enjoy the feeling of Beca rubbing the toy on her, she remembered something she’d read in a magazine. “Want to try something?” she asked. Beca nodded. “Lie on top of me.”

Beca lay on top of her, straddling, and Chloe moved Beca so the toy buzzed on both of their clits. They both let out moans, and Chloe pulled Beca closer to her, capturing her lips in a searing kiss. She’d never felt so connected to her. Beca pulled her head away to catch her breath, and Chloe turned the speed up. The second she knew Beca was starting to come, she quickly joined her.

She turned off the toy but continued to hold Beca tightly. “You know, I’ve never done that before,” she said quietly into Beca’s ear.

“You haven’t?”

“No. Just something I read recently.”

“I loved it. And I love you,” said Beca, giving her another kiss.

“Cheeseball,” said Chloe.

“That’s your fault.”

“Probably. And I love you too.”

Their afterglow was interrupted by both of their phones going off. It was Aubrey giving them the five-minute warning to meet in the lobby for dinner.

“Killjoy,” Beca said.

“You know they’re eating without us if we’re late,” said Chloe.

Beca quickly hopped off of Chloe. “Good point. Let’s get dressed.”

* * *

_**Aubrey** _

Aubrey opened the hotel room door and wasn’t the least bit surprised when Stacie pushed her up against it the second it closed. When they finally broke apart to catch their breath, Aubrey asked, “Not that I’m complaining, but what is this for?”

“You seem stressed.”

“When do you know me to _not_ be stressed?” asked Aubrey.

“I can think of a very specific situation that does _not_ stress you out,” said Stacie.

Aubrey shook her head and laughed. “You’re not wrong.”

“Should I stop?” asked Stacie.

Aubrey grabbed the back of Stacie’s head and pulled her in for another searing kiss. She felt Stacie unbuttoning her shirt, and it was on the floor in record time, along with her bra. She soon had Aubrey’s jeans off, all while keeping their lips attached. Stacie broke the kiss and then dropped to her knees. Aubrey felt Stacie slide her fingers through her folds, causing her to buck her hips.

“Impatient, are we?” asked Stacie.

“Yes!”

Stacie looked up at Aubrey and grinned before licking through her folds. Aubrey was sure the only reason she was upright was due to Stacie’s firm grip on her left leg as she hitched her right leg over her shoulder. Aubrey knew she was gone when Stacie switched techniques and began to work her tongue in a spot that only she’d found. She was coming (and feeling less stressed) in no time.

Aubrey took Stacie to their bed to return the favor. She immediately relieved Stacie of her clothing. She lay on top of her, massaging one nipple while sucking on the other. She felt Stacie take her hand and put it between her legs. She released Stacie’s nipple from her mouth and asked, “Now, who’s impatient?”

She put two fingers into Stacie and switched breasts. She continued to lick and suck her girlfriend’s nipple as she fucked her with her fingers. She could tell Stacie was getting close, but she still needed more. She inserted a third finger and sped up, using her hips to push her hand and help her bury her fingers more deeply, and she soon felt the telltale clenching as Stacie yelled Aubrey’s name.

After they got their clothes back on, Aubrey took extra time to re-apply her makeup and touch up her hair before heading to dinner. She sent everyone a group text to remind them they had five minutes to meet in the hotel lobby. Stacie assured her that she looked great and that nobody could tell they’d just been having sex. She was shocked that Stacie looked like she always did, save for some smeared lipstick she easily repaired.

She was relieved to find the entire group of Bellas waiting in the lobby on time. She walked the group over to the hotel restaurant, glad their table was ready.

They sat down and Aubrey got nervous as she saw the menu. She barely had the money in the budget to cover the cheaper meals for everyone. She decided she’d just be upfront and tell the others the truth.

“So, we’re a little tight on money. We can cover up to $10 a person,” said Aubrey.

“What’s $10 here?” asked Fat Amy.

“It’s fine,” said Chloe. “Maybe we can just share a bunch of appetizers.”

Just then, Beca’s dad and stepmother walked over to their table.

“Hi, Dr. Mitchell,” said Chloe.

“Hi, Dad,” said Beca. She turned to the group. “So, everyone, this is my dad Francis and my stepmother Sheila.”

“Hi, everyone,” said Dr. Mitchell. He grabbed the attention of the nearest waiter. “Excuse me. This group is with me. Please charge their dinner to our room, number 378.”

“Dad!” exclaimed Beca.

“I don’t want anyone going hungry just before your big competition,” he said.

Beca’s cheeks turned pink as she quietly thanked him.

Fat Amy took this as an excuse to order two dinners, but everyone else kept things reasonable.

* * *

_**Beca** _

“Are you okay?” Chloe quietly asked Beca as she picked at her dinner.

“It’s weird,” Beca replied. “My dad just swooped in, and…”

Chloe squeezed Beca’s hand. “Enjoy your dinner. Maybe you should go and talk to him after we’re done.”

Beca nodded. She and her dad had come a long way in the past several weeks since their heart-to-heart talk. She’d brought Chloe over for dinner the following weekend, and, as predicted, the girl had charmed her way into Sheila’s once homophobic heart.

Chloe and her dad had gotten into an in-depth discussion over dinner about some piece of literature she’d read in his class the previous spring. Beca couldn’t keep up with the discussion at all, but it had gone better than any previous meals with her dad and stepmom all year.

Chloe proceeded to gush about Beca’s musical abilities to her dad and stepmom, causing Beca to blush furiously.

The night had ended with Beca agreeing to make this a weekly arrangement and Chloe forwarding the Bellas’ travel information to the Mitchells.

For once, Beca was relieved when Aubrey told everyone they’d better head back to their rooms and get a good night’s sleep. She’d managed to get the use of the hotel ballroom the next morning to practice their routines, and she didn’t want anyone hungover.

Chloe offered to accompany Beca to her dad and stepmother’s room, but Beca declined. She texted her dad to ask if it was okay if she came up to their room for a few minutes, and he’d replied that he’d be happy to have her. There had even been emojis.

* * *

She walked up to her dad’s room and knocked. He greeted her with a smile and a hug and invited her to sit down at the small table in the room.

“Hey, Bec. Are you ready for tomorrow?” he asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” said Beca.

“Are you nervous?”

“A little.”

“So, what brings you here? I thought you’d be taking advantage of the time alone with Chloe.”

Beca’s face warmed at the comment. “Dad…”

“Sorry, honey. Just making a funny.”

Beca shook her head. “Don’t quit your day job, Dad,” she said. “Speaking of which…” Beca trailed off.

“You’re wondering why I’ve been so generous?” he asked.

“Yeah,” said Beca, looking down. “I mean, I appreciate it, but…”

“Beca, relax,” he said. “It’s a combination of things. I feel bad for stopping child support. I should have realized your mother was struggling.”

“And I just made a huge sale,” said Sheila. At Beca’s questioning look she said, “I work on commission.”

“Right,” said Beca. “I forgot that you’re a pharmaceutical sales rep. So, you don’t mind spending it on the Bellas?”

“Look, I know you haven’t had it easy, and some of that is my fault,” she said.

“What?”

“You’re right, I knew your dad was married. Well, I didn’t when we first met, but I continued things after he’d slipped and kept on his wedding ring when he met me for dinner one night when we were traveling for work. I’m not proud of that.”

Beca sat in stunned silence.

Sheila continued. “And I never should have said what I did about gay people, and I feel so, so much worse knowing the pain it caused you. I had no business saying that about, well, anybody. I’ve done a lot of soul searching and talking with people at church. I get it. And seeing you with Chloe, well, I’ve never seen you smile that much.”

“I am basically dating a ray of sunshine,” Beca said.

“She certainly seems like one,” said Sheila. “Anyway, I know that money can’t make up for the pain I’ve caused you. But I thought I’d at least make things easier for you and your group. I’m glad you’ve found people who seem to really get you.”

“I still can’t believe how much I like those weirdos,” said Beca with a chuckle. “Thanks, Sheila. I appreciate it, and I’m sure the others do too.”

Beca surprised herself and Sheila by walking up to the woman for a hug. She gave her dad one as well and told them good night.

* * *

Beca came back to her room to find Chloe sitting on the bed in pajamas, face scrubbed clean of makeup, hair up in a messy bun. She smiled at how absolutely beautiful her girlfriend looked.

“Hey,” said Beca, giving her a peck on the lips.

“How did it go?”

“Good. The short version is that Sheila got a huge commission and is spending it on the Bellas because she feels bad for how difficult she’s made my life.”

“Wow,” said Chloe.

Beca gave her a short version of the conversation she’d just had with her stepmother, even admitting she’d voluntarily hugged the woman before leaving their room.

“Beca Mitchell, you softie.”

“Don’t you dare tell the others!”

Chloe laughed so hard she snorted.

“What?!”

“They’ve seen us together, Beca. I think they all see through the badass persona.”

Beca simply folded her arms.

“Come to bed. It’s been lonely here without you.”

“I’ve been gone fifteen minutes, Chloe.”

“That’s fourteen minutes too long.”

Beca rolled her eyes. “You dork,” she said as she headed to the bathroom to wash off her makeup and brush her teeth.

She climbed into bed, immediately pulled close by Chloe. “So, it really was a good conversation?” Chloe asked.

“Yeah,” said Beca. “It’s the best I’ve had since the divorce. Well, maybe ever.”

“That’s great.”

Beca popped her head up. “I just realized something,” said Beca. “I don’t think I told you the most interesting part of my mom’s visit. She came out to me! She’s gay too!”

“Was this before or after she showed you how to use a toaster?”

“After,” said Beca, laughing.

“Well, that’s probably one reason she and your dad didn’t work.”

“Pretty much what I said when she told me.”

“So, does she have a girlfriend?”

“Not as of Spring Break. But she told me she’s on Tinder, which is gross because she’s _old._ And I’ll never think of Miss Sally the same way again.”

“Miss Sally?”

“She’s a friend of my mom’s. Well, maybe more than a friend at some point? We used to stay at her beach house during the summer. I really don’t want to think about how exactly they figured that out, but my mom told me Sally had something to do with it. I didn’t ask for details. In fact, I specifically told my mom I _didn’t_ want details.”

“I don’t think I’d want to know either,” said Chloe. “Let’s find something to watch before bed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll get to the final performance in the next chapter. Thanks for sticking with me!


	24. Chapter 24

_**Beca** _

Beca sat with the Bellas watching a seemingly endless number of a cappella groups performing. There were a few groups of men, but they didn’t see any groups of entirely women. As Beca watched, she smiled to herself. Nobody had a set anywhere close to theirs musically, and none of the choreography could compare either. Their only competition, in Beca’s opinion, was the Treblemakers. As luck would have it, they were to perform immediately before the Bellas, who would be the last group.

The group was walking backstage to collect microphones as she heard the Trebles doing their own version of the aca-huddle, calling “One, two, three, swag!”

Beca wished Jesse good luck before he went on, pleasantly surprised to hear him awkwardly respond, “Thanks, you too.” He looked like he wanted to say something else, but the announcer was calling their name.

The Trebles began a pretty fun and clever set. Beca couldn’t help but smile as she watched. They appeared to be having a lot more fun without Bumper. They started by simulating playing or being various instruments while Jesse took the lead, singing, “Bright Lights, Bigger City” by CeeLo Green.

As the Trebles finished that number, they split into two vertical lines and Benji came out from behind them. She saw Jesse give Benji a nod before he began to sing “Magic” by B.o.B. He’d started off a bit shy and hesitant, but he became more and more confident as he sang. Beca couldn’t hold back a face-splitting grin as she saw her friend living his dream of being a Treblemaker. The guys continued, Donald doing the rapping part, and the lively choreography continued. Benji ended the set in the middle of the stage with Jesse, and Beca was incredibly proud of them both.

The audience cheered wildly for the group as they left the stage. Beca knew it was a tough act to follow, but she also knew they were prepared.

She turned to the group and said, “I love you, awesome nerds.”

Fat Amy said, “Yeah. You guys are the best. Even though some of you are pretty thin, I think that you all have fat hearts. And that’s what matters. Okay, let’s just smash this. Okay?”

The announcer called them, and Beca was both nervous and excited as they stepped on stage. After they took their places, Beca blew the pitch pipe and counted them in.

The auditorium was silent as they began. However, after Lilly had her solo line and they increased the tempo and began the more interesting dance steps, the audience began to cheer. Beca continued her part while trying to scan the audience for Trebles. She spotted him just as she began to sing “Hey, hey, hey hey!” She locked eyes with him as she sang “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” She threw him a smile as she sang the second line.

_Tell me your troubles and doubts_

She continued to lock eyes with him, seeing him finally start to smile back as she sang the line:

_As you walk on by, will you call my name?_

She saw him throw his fist in the air, and she then raised her fist. She knew he’d gotten the message.

The group began “Give Me Everything” and Beca stood next to Chloe, who hit the bass notes beautifully. She saw Aubrey take her hair out of its bun out of the corner of her eye, and she was thrilled to see the girl loosening up. She was even more surprised to see Aubrey had shed her blazer sometime between then and Amy’s solo.

They ended the song with an aca-huddle, and Beca was so incredibly proud of herself and the rest of the group when they’d finished. They received a standing ovation, and, much to Beca’s surprise, Aubrey hugged her before Chloe could even get to her.

When they finally left the stage, Beca walked over to Jesse. He said, “I told you. Endings are the best part.”

“You’re such a weirdo,” she said, letting him pull her into a hug.

“We’ll talk this out later when we’re back in town,” said Jesse. “Okay?”

“Yeah.”

He nodded his head toward Chloe, who was waiting patiently for her. “Go kiss your girl.”

She gave Jesse another quick hug, told Benji he’d done an awesome job, and planted a long kiss on Chloe’s lips.

Beca heard the announcer. “Weren’t they incredible? Wow! Let’s give it up again for the Barden Bellas!”

Once the cheering died down, the announcer said they’d be taking a thirty-minute break to calculate the scores. Beca sat down, some of the performance adrenaline beginning to wear off.

“We did it,” said Chloe. “I just know it.”

Beca simply squeezed Chloe’s hand. She needed a breather after all of that.

Fat Amy insisted she needed to grab something from the concession stand, but the others stayed put, chatting excitedly about their performance.

Beca had settled by the time the announcer said they were ready to announce the winners.

“In third place, the University of Virginia Hullabahoos!”

“In second place…” Beca felt her heart hammering in her chest. “The Barden University Treblemakers!”

“And, in first place, this year’s International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella winners...The Barden Bellas!”

Chloe and Aubrey both insisted Beca go with them to collect the trophy. She couldn’t have been more thrilled to hold it up in the air with the two of them.

After everything was over, the Bellas gathered in the lobby. Beca’s grandmother, dad, and stepmother walked up to her. “Way to go, Beca,” said her dad.

“Your dad tells me you did all of this?” asked Beca’s grandmother.

“I arranged the music, but the different songs were everyone’s ideas. The choreography was mostly Stacie and Chloe,” Beca said. She introduced the rest of the group.

“We have another surprise for you,” said Sheila. The two of them each took a giant step to the side.

“Mom!” Beca exclaimed, immediately running up to her for a hug.

“You were amazing, honey,” she said.

“It didn’t seem fair that we were going to get to see you perform and your mother wouldn’t, so we flew her out,” said her dad.

“Thank you both,” Beca said.

She turned to the Bellas. “So, everybody, this is my mom Ellen.”

Chloe walked up to Beca’s mom. “I’m Chloe. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Mitchell.”

“It’s actually Ms. Matthews, but, please, call me Ellen.”

“We’ll let you girls celebrate,” said Dr. Mitchell. “I think the four of us are going to go grab some dinner.”

“Together?” asked Beca.

“It’s been a long time since we split,” said Beca’s mom.

“Never thought I’d see the day,” said Beca. “Have fun, guys.”

“Beca, would you like to come over for breakfast tomorrow?” asked her grandmother. “You can bring your girlfriend.”

“Sounds great, Gram.” She gave her family quick hugs goodbye.

* * *

_**Chloe** _

“Okay, everyone, party in our room in an hour!” exclaimed Chloe.

She and Aubrey headed to a convenience store on the way to the hotel to grab some alcohol for the group, figuring they’d earned it. The second Aubrey said something about the budget, Chloe told her to be quiet. She said she’d cover it if she had to. The group deserved some fun.

Several of the Bellas had already trickled into Beca and Chloe’s room when they got back.

“Oh, yeah, time to hit the piss!” Fat Amy exclaimed upon seeing the beer in Chloe’s and Aubrey’s arms.

“What?” asked Beca.

“The piss!” Fat Amy called, pointing to the booze.

“Right,” said Beca.

“Where’s the tequila?” asked Fat Amy.

“The 7-11 only sells beer,” said Aubrey.

The rest of the group rolled in a few minutes later, many of them already in pajamas. Once they all had at least a light buzz going, Stacie talked everyone into a game of truth or dare.

They were impressed that Fat Amy managed not to get thrown out of the hotel after she ran up and down the hall screaming, “I’m the best person in the world!”

Jessica dared Stacie to walk up to a random hotel room, knock on the door, and ask for a condom. Nobody was surprised when she returned with one, but even Aubrey was shocked when she revealed four more.

“How did you do that?” asked Beca.

“Eh,” said Stacie, shrugging. “Anyone want one?”

“I’ll take all five!” exclaimed Fat Amy.

The group got Aubrey to tell the story of when she’d made out with Chloe. Beca knew it had gone further than that, and she was relieved when Chloe declared it was Cynthia Rose’s turn, essentially stopping Aubrey from going further. Beca wasn’t jealous, but she didn’t want to hear the details either.

Chloe dared Cynthia Rose to show them what the last YouTube video was that she watched. Denise immediately grabbed her phone and pulled it up.

“No Bieber! Turn it off!” Beca immediately yelled and covered her ears as a pre-pubescent Justin Bieber’s voice filled the room with the familiar notes of one of his first hits, “[Baby](https://youtu.be/kffacxfA7G4).”

“I wouldn’t have guessed you were a closet Bieber fan,” said Ashley. Cynthia Rose opened her mouth to speak, but Chloe interrupted her.

“Beca does that every time I try to get her to sing a Bieber song with me in the shower,” said Chloe.

“What?” asked most of the group.

“Chloe!” exclaimed Beca.

“Beca’s turn!” called Stacie.

“I’m not answering a question or doing a dare until someone shuts off Bieber,” said Beca.

Denise shut off the video.

“Dare,” said Beca.

“Take a sock and stuff it into your pants and pretend it’s your junk for the rest of the game,” said Stacie.

Beca immediately pulled a sock out of her suitcase and stuffed it into her pants. “That’s my dick!” she exclaimed.

Chloe was surprised that even Aubrey laughed at that.

Chloe was next. She chose “truth”, and she wasn’t surprised at all when she was asked about the shower comment.

“So, before I even met Beca, we were singing duets in our showers.” She went on to explain how it had just happened one day, quickly becoming a thing they did all the time.

“And I don’t know if I would have thought to audition for the Bellas if she hadn’t cornered me the day before auditions,” said Beca. “So I’m glad.”

“It really does sound good. Sometimes it’s a quartet when I stay over,” said Stacie, nonchalantly.

“Y’all need a new hobby,” said Cynthia Rose.

The antics continued through the night, everyone getting braver as the drinks flowed. The last “dare” of the night was when Fat Amy dared Stacie to pretend she was a bad student and to spend the next round of turns in Aubrey’s lap for “time out.”

Stacie and Aubrey appeared to be enjoying this a bit too much, so Chloe finally kicked everyone out for the night.

“Aubrey, get your hand out of Stacie’s pants,” said Beca.

“They weren’t in my pants,” said Stacie. “They were up my shirt!”

Aubrey simply blushed and mumbled something Chloe assumed to be telling her girlfriend to be quiet.

* * *

**_Beca_ **

Beca and Chloe crashed hard after the group left, the adrenaline rush of their win finally coming down.

Beca felt Chloe jostling her.

“What?” she said, her voice thick with sleep.

“It’s already 10 am,” said Chloe. “We promised your Gram we’d come over for breakfast.”

“I’m up, I’m up,” Beca said, yawning. “Give me a minute and I’ll call her and make sure it’s okay.”

Beca grabbed a bottle of water from the mini-fridge and drank it while Chloe tried to make a pot of coffee in the cheap coffee maker.

She unlocked her phone and called Gram.

“Hi, Beca,” she said.

“Hey, Gram. I know it’s late, but is it okay if we come over?”

“Of course. I’m your grandmother and it’s my job to feed you.”

“Thanks, Gram. We’ll be over as soon as we can.”

Beca managed a few sips of the horrible hotel coffee before giving up altogether on it. She and Chloe put on some clothing and packed up their suitcases. Chloe texted Aubrey to let her know they were having breakfast with Beca’s grandmother, and that they’d be sure to meet them in the hotel lobby at 1 pm as promised.

Chloe checked out, and Beca hailed a cab to her grandmother’s place. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw her grandmother standing outside her apartment, arms already open for a hug.

“Let me take a better look at you, dear,” she said.

“You just saw me last night.”

“I didn’t have time, then,” said Gram.

“So?” asked Beca after Gram hadn’t said anything for a minute or two.

“You look good,” she said. “Now, Chloe, tell me about yourself.”

It came as no surprise to Beca that Chloe was a total chatterbox. She told Beca’s grandmother all about her family back in Portland, her nieces and nephews, and how she and Beca were neighbors.

“My son tells me you’re the one making our Beca smile so much.”

Beca could only blush and hide her face. Chloe gave her a kiss on top of her head.

“I’m sure you girls must be starving,” she said. “I have some bagels and cream cheese. Would anyone like eggs? Bacon?”

“Sure, Gram, thanks,” said Beca.

Gram entertained Chloe with stories from the time Beca spent living with her while she’d been on Broadway. Most of the stories weren’t embarrassing, luckily.

“I was so proud of Beca for sticking with it,” said Gram. “She was the only child in the show, and she was working the same hours as adults. She almost never complained. She did have a friend from a different show who would come over and have sleepovers sometimes.”

“Nicole. She was a swing from _The Sound of Music_. I’m sure we kept Gram up plenty of nights.”

“I didn’t mind,” said Gram.

After a while, Beca and Chloe took a cab back to the hotel, leaving plenty of time to meet the group in the lobby as planned.

“I think it’s really sweet that you lived with your grandmother while you were on Broadway,” said Chloe.

“I was lucky,” said Beca. “I wonder what happened to my old friend, though. We lost touch after my show closed.”

“You could look her up on social media.”

“I don’t even remember her last name,” said Beca. She smiled to herself as she remembered Nicole.

“What?” asked Chloe.

“Oh, I was just thinking. Nicole and I spent a lot of time talking about sex. That is, when the adults were out of earshot. We weren’t talking about boys, or girls, or anything like that. We talked about sex. Did you have a friend like that? We were more interested in figuring it out and learning about it than actually doing it.”

“I had a neighbor back then who used to swipe porno magazines from her brother’s room and we used to study them back then.”

“I guess it’s not that weird a phase,” said Beca.

“I think a lot of people go through a phase like that when they’re younger,” said Chloe.

* * *

Beca sat with Chloe on the plane ride back. She wasn’t surprised when Chloe lifted the armrest between them and pulled Beca close.

“Hey, Chloe.”

“Hmm?”

“I think I’m going to stay at Barden.”

“Yeah? That’s great.”

“My dad was right. Do you know how much I hate admitting that?” asked Beca.

Chloe just laughed and gave Beca a kiss on top of the head.

“Besides, it’s pretty clear I don’t hate it here at Barden. So, I think I’m going to tell him this Friday when we go over there for dinner.”

“He’ll be thrilled,” said Chloe.

“I know. It’s the worst!” Beca chuckled.

“You can lead the Bellas next year,” said Chloe.

“I’ll see what the others think,” said Beca.

“They’ll totes want you to lead,” said Chloe.

“I’ll worry about that later,” said Beca. “I have two weeks until finals.”

* * *

_**Aubrey** _

The Monday after the ICCA Finals, Aubrey came back to her apartment from classes to an empty kitchen. It was Chloe’s night to cook. She wondered briefly if maybe she’d been out with Beca, but both of their cars were in the parking lot.

“Chloe?!” she called.

She walked through the apartment to see Chloe’s Bella scarf on her bedroom door. She rolled her eyes, figuring she and Beca were at it again, and was about to walk into the kitchen to make dinner for herself when she heard Chloe crying.

“Chloe, are you okay?” she called through the door.

“Go away!” Chloe shouted.

“Chloe, what’s wrong?”

“I told you to leave me alone!”

Aubrey immediately walked next door to Beca’s apartment.

“Aubrey, hi. What’s up?” asked Beca.

“Chloe won’t come out of her room. She had the scarf on the door, and I figured you were in there. But then I heard her crying, and you’re obviously not in there with her. She won’t come out, and she won’t tell me what’s wrong. Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

“No! Would you like me to try and talk to her?”

“That would be great, Beca. I’ve never seen her like this.”

They walked over together, and Aubrey stood back as Beca knocked on Chloe’s door softly and spoke to her in a quiet voice. Chloe opened the door to let Beca in but shut it before Aubrey could follow her.


	25. Chapter 25

_**Beca** _

“What’s the matter, Chloe?” Beca asked when she saw her girlfriend’s red-rimmed eyes.

“I talked to my Russian Lit professor today, and I’m not graduating.”

“What?”

“There was this group project, and it was half my grade. We failed. My professor called me to talk to him after class, and he said not to even bother showing up for the final. It’s the last class I need to graduate, so…”

“Chloe, that doesn’t seem even remotely fair. It’s got to be against university policy. I could call my dad if you want and ask if--”

“Don’t,” said Chloe. “Look, it was a group project. And I’ll admit I didn’t put forth my best effort, or, really, any effort, if I’m being honest. And, neither did anyone else, it looks like.”

“Chloe…”

“I have to tell my parents. They were looking forward to having their last kid out of college, and, now they’re not going to have that.”

“Can you take it over the summer?” asked Beca.

Chloe shook her head. “It’s not offered.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to talk to my dad?”

“I appreciate it, but, no.”

“Okay,” said Beca. “Come here.” Beca pulled her girlfriend close, and she soon stopped crying. She simply held Chloe for a while before asking, “So, when are you going to tell Aubrey?”

“I don’t know,” said Chloe.

“You should tell her when you come out of your room. She was worried enough about you to come and get me. She didn’t say this, but I have a feeling she thought we’d broken up.”

Chloe pulled away from Beca and snapped her head up. “What?”

“It’s just a vibe I got.”

“Will you stay with me while I tell her?”

“Of course.”

* * *

_**Chloe** _

Beca and Chloe had ended up falling asleep in Chloe’s bed before getting a chance to talk to Aubrey. They walked out of Chloe’s room to find Aubrey in the kitchen fixing breakfast.

“Morning, you two,” said Aubrey. “Are you okay now, Chloe?”

“I have something to tell you,” said Chloe. She felt Beca squeeze her hand. “I’m not graduating. I failed the Russian Lit project, and there’s no way I can pass the class.”

“That can’t be right,” said Aubrey. “There’s got to be a rule against that!”

“Don’t bother,” said Beca. “I even offered to get my dad involved.”

“I haven’t put in the effort,” said Chloe. “I was just so wrapped up in everything with the Bellas. I did a lot of thinking last night. I’m going to take the class again next year and maybe add a minor.”

“Does that mean you can still be a Bella?” asked Beca.

“I’ll be a full-time student, so, yes,” said Chloe.

“I can’t believe you’re just giving up like that,” said Aubrey.

Chloe just shrugged. She didn’t expect Aubrey to understand. Besides, deep down, she knew she wasn’t ready to leave Barden (or Beca) just yet.

* * *

_**Beca** _

That Friday, Beca and Chloe went to Beca’s dad’s for dinner. Beca walked right in, finally breaking her habit of knocking every time she visited her father.

“Beca, Chloe, it’s so good to see you!” called Sheila.

“Hey, Sheila. Where’s my dad?”

“In the kitchen!” he called.

“He just learned to make meatloaf,” said Sheila.

“Thanks again for helping out the Bellas,” said Beca. “I think Aubrey may have had another vomiting episode in the hotel lobby if we hadn’t been able to check in.”

“It’s the least I could do,” said Sheila.

“We appreciate it,” said Chloe.

They sat down to dinner, and Beca was relieved that her dad’s meatloaf had actually been good.

“So, how has your week been, Beca?” asked Dr. Mitchell.

“It’s been fine,” said Beca. “A little weird not having Bellas’ practice. But, I finally made a decision. I’m going to stay at Barden.”

“That’s wonderful, Beca,” said her dad.

“And, since I know you’re going to insist I say it, Dad, you were right.”

Beca’s dad chuckled a bit and smiled. “I’m glad I haven’t lost my touch. And, how are you, Chloe? Ready for graduation?”

Beca felt Chloe tense up, so she gently patted her leg.

“I’m...not graduating.”

“I thought you were a senior.”

“I am,” said Chloe. “It turns out I’m going to fail Russian Lit. There was a group project, and we bombed it. Dr. Morozov told me not to even bother taking the final because it won’t help me.”

“Oh, Chloe, I’m sorry,” he said.

“Francis, can you do anything to help her?” asked Sheila.

“I’m afraid not,” he said. “That professor is known for taking advantage of a loophole in the grading policy. He’s tenured, so nobody will do anything about it.”

“I’ve decided to add a minor and stay for all of next year,” said Chloe.

“What is your minor going to be?” asked Dr. Mitchell.

“Music,” said Chloe.

“I think that’s perfect,” he said.

* * *

The next day, Beca was at the radio station, stacking CD’s and vinyls again with Jesse.

“How in the hell is there still music to stack?” asked Beca.

“Maybe Luke secretly takes it off of the shelves when we’re not here,” said Jesse.

After a few beats, Beca cleared her throat. “So...I guess we should talk.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry I’ve been pushing you away almost all year. I did a lot of thinking, and I’ve talked to both of my parents. I understand things much better. I was only eight when my dad moved across the country. I blamed myself for him leaving, and I guess I told myself that anyone who would get close to me would just leave. It made me pretty independent, which is great, but it’s also really lonely. I know you’ve just been trying to help me, and I’m sorry.”

“And I’m sorry for handling things the way I did. It wasn’t right of me to ignore you like that,” said Jesse. “So, did you _really_ watch _The Breakfast Club_?”

“I did,” said Beca. “I watched it after my night shift during Spring Break. My mom came out to stay with me during the break since I wasn’t going to be able to make the trip home. Anyway, she found me crying on the couch as the movie ended. We borrowed a bunch of movies from the public library and watched a lot of them.”

“Who are you and what have you done with Beca?”

“Shut the fuck up, Jesse.”

“Never mind, there she is,” he said. “So, what did you think?”

“I’ll never be able to unsee Sylvester Stallone drinking raw eggs in _Rocky_. But, not a bad story, and the music is awesome. _E.T._ is cute. I don’t think I’ll ever love movies like you do, but I could be talked into watching a few of them.”

“Does that mean I can talk you into a movie night at my place?” asked Jesse.

“ _One_ movie. Not a movie marathon,” said Beca.

“I can agree to that,” he said.

* * *

_**Aubrey** _

A few days later, Aubrey was surprised to find a letter from Barden in her mail. She immediately was afraid it was some sort of notice that she wouldn’t be able to graduate.

The letter read:

_Dear Aubrey Posen,_

_In light of the Barden Bellas’ winning of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, we would like to offer you the sorority house currently occupied by the Gamma Phi Pi sorority._

The letter went on to explain the details of the cost to the group, what would be provided, etc.

She showed Chloe, who immediately squealed and insisted they call a Bellas meeting.

“Let’s make sure we have some snack food first,” said Aubrey. “I’m pretty sure Amy will raid our kitchen if we don’t.”

Chloe looked through the refrigerator and cabinets. “Not much,” said Chloe. “Make the meeting for tomorrow, and I’ll head to the store to get drinks and snacks after dinner.”

“Is Beca available? We need her car if we want to fit everyone,” said Aubrey.

“Let me text her and check. She’s at the radio station right now.” After about a minute, Chloe said, “Beca’s available.”

* * *

The next night, the Bellas gathered excitedly in Aubrey and Chloe’s apartment.

“So, I received a letter from Barden yesterday,” said Aubrey. She explained that they’d been offered a house and told them it would be up to the group to vote on whether or not they wanted it. She wasn’t surprised when the decision was unanimous to take the house.

“We also need to vote on next year’s captain,” said Chloe.

“I think Beca should do it,” said Cynthia Rose. Several of the Bellas nodded in agreement.

“Thanks, guys, but…” Beca trailed off. Aubrey could see that she was silently asking Chloe if it was okay to share her graduation status. “Is anyone else interested?”

“Beca, you are the one responsible for the new sound,” said Stacie. “I know we all contributed the ideas, but none of us can put together an arrangement like you do.”

“Well, I’m a disaster when it comes to choreography,” said Beca.

“And a good captain would know to delegate that,” said Aubrey.

Beca looked at her quizzically.

“It’s something I should have realized a long time ago,” said Aubrey.

“So, who votes for me as the captain?” asked Beca. All hands went up. “Then, I guess it’s settled.”

“Which means it’s your job to respond to this letter,” said Aubrey, handing it to her.

“I’ll get on it tomorrow,” said Beca.

* * *

_**Beca** _

Beca drove her group back to campus, and she waited for Chloe in the parking lot.

“Can we talk?” she asked Chloe as she saw her get out of her car.

“This isn’t…” Chloe trailed off, chewing on her bottom lip.

“No!” Beca exclaimed, mentally kicking herself for using that phrase. “I really do just want to talk. Do you want to come to mine?”

“Okay.”

They got inside Beca’s apartment and sat down on the couch. “Why didn’t you tell the others you aren’t graduating?”

Chloe looked down at her feet. “I’m not ready to tell them yet. It was hard enough to tell Aubrey.”

“You do know they’re going to figure it out, right?”

Chloe nodded. “I’m just not ready.”

Beca tucked a piece of hair behind Chloe’s ear. “Okay,” she said. “I won’t say anything to anyone.”

“Thanks,” said Chloe.

* * *

_Four Months Later_

Beca had arrived in Atlanta a week prior, staying at her dad’s. She discovered her stepmother knew plenty of places to get discounted furniture. She’d even found a wrap-around couch for the living room. She helped move Beca’s bedroom set into one of the rooms, Chloe’s into another, and, somehow, the entire place was move-in ready within the week.

“Okay, everyone,” said Beca. “So, here are the rooms available. I’m taking the master bedroom as the captain. Everyone else is two to a room. Jessica and Ashley, I’m assuming you two are still together. You can take the double room on the second floor to the right.”

She continued to tell the group where she’d placed their rooms. A few of the Bellas switched with each other, but she soon had everyone bringing boxes and suitcases to their new rooms.

She texted Chloe while the group was busy.

_B: They’re all here  
_ _B: Are you coming over?_

Chloe had already moved her things in. She and Beca had stayed in the house the night before. Chloe had chosen the time the group was supposed to meet to go to the leasing office at her old apartment complex, give the place a final walkthrough, and return her keys.

_C: I’m scared  
_ _B: Don’t be_

About a half-hour later, Beca saw Chloe walk into the living room out of the corner of her eye. She’d been discussing small kitchen appliances with a few of the girls. She saw Chloe smile at her, but she continued the discussion. She and Chloe had agreed that they wouldn’t make a big deal about Chloe returning to school.

It was only a minute before she heard Stacie say, “Hi, Chloe.” She paused for a beat. “Wait, what?”

“I’m back,” said Chloe.

“Why? For grad school? I didn’t know you could still be a Bella.”

“I’m not,” said Chloe. “I didn’t graduate. Let me just say I don’t suggest taking Russian Lit with Dr. Morozov.”

The group, of course, didn’t settle for the short version. Beca felt a little bad seeing the embarrassment on her girlfriend’s face as she told everyone she’d failed the class. She brightened a bit when she told them she’d chosen a minor and would be staying for the entire year.

“Are there soundproof walls in your room?” asked Fat Amy. “I don’t want to be up all night hearing you two.”

Beca walked up to her girlfriend, gave her a chaste kiss, and then flipped Amy the bird. “We’re not the only couple, you know.”

Amy looked over at Jessica and Ashley. “Something tells me they’re not too loud.” The two of them just looked at each other and shrugged.

“Enough with that business,” said Cynthia Rose. “I’m just sad my girl transferred out of state.”

“And mine graduated,” said Stacie.

“Which is why I put you two together as roomies. Misery loves company, right?”

“Aubrey isn’t that far away,” said Stacie. “And, now that I’m no longer a freshman, at least I have my car and can drive down to see her.”

“So, we have two spots open for sure. We could probably take a few more people, but we need at least one new person this year,” said Beca.

“With the win last year, I’m sure that won’t be a problem,” said Stacie. “Wait, so, should we vote again on captain? Because I didn’t know Chloe would be coming back.”

“They could be co-captains,” said Cynthia Rose.

“Is that okay with everyone?” asked Beca.

The group all agreed.

“Okay, then I guess we’re co-captains.”

* * *

_One month later_

The Bellas sat together waiting for the beginning of the auditions. Beca and Chloe were at the table while the other occupied the seats nearby.

Tommy walked up to the stage, clipboard in hand.

“Listen up aca-ballers, I’ve been rejected by the army, shoved into a Dora backpack, and pushed into the girl’s locker room wearing nothing but suspenders. But no matter. I am in the world that I love. So, with the assistance of my boy, Justin - “

“My liege.”

“I launch this year’s auditions.” The groups applauded. “And as a tribute to our most recent ICCA national champions, their team leaders will pick the audition song. Bellas?”

Beca and Chloe smiled at each other. Beca said, “Alright nerds, let’s go with…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! Thank you so much for reading and commenting!


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